Fog
by jae-vous
Summary: They tell her that her name is Ziva.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's a small idea that's been in my head a couple days now. It will have multiple additions, and I'll try to keep them coming consistantly. I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think - I'm new to this and insecurity is constantly threatening to scare me off. Hope everyone had a happy New Years!**

_jae_**  
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**Disclaimer: We all know I don't own any of these guys. **

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><p><em><strong>One<strong>_

On the first day, she learns they are her teammates. And as the one who's taken to being her self-appointed guardian said, she's _so _not in Kansas anymore.

The blank stare she offers him at this quip receives a disgruntled look in return, as if her confusion deeply disappointed him.

They tell her several things that day, but they began with the basic things, such as their names.

What she can't shake, though, is the unfamiliar feeling of devotion they all have for her. It makes her uncomfortable, only because she isn't accustomed to such feelings from anyone.

There's five of them that visit, and each and every one of them leave her feeling disjointed. Because if the love and concern that cloud their eyes when they look at her is any indication, then these five few must mean almost everything to her in return.

The lone woman, dressed head to toe in in black and vibrant clothes Ziva herself could never imagine wearing, wasted no time throwing herself at her and began talking so fast Ziva grew dizzy trying to keep up.

The young man who's name she was told was Tim put a hand briefly on the woman's shoulder to quiet her.

"Easy, Abby, you're going to hurt yourself talking so fast. Besides, Ziva's had a long couple of days."

The woman named Abby offered her a sheepish smile and hugged her tightly.

"I'm just so glad you're okay."

Perplexed, Ziva offered her a weak hug in return, and soon the woman, Abby, was escorted by the kind older gentleman that stood unobtrusively in the corner of her small room.

Later, the remaining men explain to her in a clearly brief and edited account what happened. Whether this was to protect her feelings, or the shadowing guardian's, she was not sure. Said man had remained hovering beside her head since she opened her eyes. He stayed silent and stared impassively out the one window near her bed through the entire account as the other two men narrated. With his head turned in it's current direction, she can now make out the faint, purple bruise that colors the area of his jaw and eye. She glances at him every so often to see his face stay unfocused, and his expression remain unchanged.

The older man, with the silver hair and the twinkling eyes, leans down to place a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Rule number 52," He speaks gruffly, "Wait for back-up before engaging in combat with more than three armed men."

Her guardian, who has remained eerily quiet, barked out a short, derisive laugh.

"Didn't realize you were still adding rules, Gibbs."

The woman breaks eye contact with the older man to stare quizzically between the two, and Gibbs directs his next comment at her, responded quietly, "Gotta make sure you all stay safe, Tony here would never forgive himself if something happened to his partner."

The young man named Tim chuckled humorously, adding, "Or his wife."

Her eyes widened and snapped down towards her ring finger, and quickly over to Tony's.

_Oh._

They told her that her name was Ziva. That, she was sure, she already knew.

The medical staff told her she was not recalling the last 15 years.

Looking around at the remaining men, these strangers, she could now confirm that was right.


	2. Chapter 2

**__Consider me overwhelmed by all of the alerts and favorites I received over the last day! I'm glad you enjoyed, and _seriously_, thank you to every person that left a review - they were most appreciated! **

**One review made me feel that I need to clarify that in this story, Ziva has only lost her memory up to the point before she left Mossad to be a Liaison at NCIS.**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

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><p><strong><em>Two<em>**

On the second day, she learns that not only is she married to her partner, but they've been doing both the emotional and verbal tango with one another farther back than she can (quite literally) remember.

Although the others return to their normal schedules the next day, the man she knows as Tony remains vigilant at her bedside. She can sense it is hard for him, to be the only one out the two of them with all of the memories, but he goes through great pains to hide it.

It appears he's trying not to overload her at once; He makes small talk, and she discovers that conversation with this man is exhilarating. He can return and spar any remark as fast as she can dish them. There is a flow to their banter, this back and forth, that she picks up on instinctively, and this is when she first considers that her falling for this man wasn't so improbable than she originally thought. Because being told by these people, that she, Ziva David, had _settled down_, and with no less this American jester, had blown her away. He is charming, and considerate - underneath the comedic mask he slips on. And she can't help but notice the deep emotion that slips through on his face and his eyes when he looks at her.

She doesn't question him about their lives together; but she does ask him about himself. The doctors, after all, say anything can trigger her memory to come back. He answers her questions easily and happily, becoming animated in his story-telling. She grows more amused by the hour, and finds that she quite likes having him for company.

When he says he must leave for a couple hours, she feels something akin to disappointment. He doesn't explain why, and she doesn't ask. She can't expect him to sit around here all day and night.

Getting up from where he had sat down beside her on the bed somewhere between conversations, he gives her a quick nod, his hand moving to stoke her face, and almost bends down instinctively to bring her face to his when he reconsiders his action, and moves to lightly kiss her head instead. She watches him go with a pang inside her, offering him a small smile as he departs.

She is caught by surprise yet again at how her body and it's emotions react instinctively to his presence.

He returns a few hours later, and he comes prepared.

He has a duffle bag, emblazoned with the NCIS logo (which, she was informed the day previous, she works for.) From this he pulls several DVD cases, a small DVD player, and finally a slightly crumpled paper folded haphazardly, adorned with what looked to be colorful scribbles. He appears very much tense, a contradiction of the jovial man that was in her company earlier. He props this upon the table that occupies the space next to her bed, but doesn't comment on it. There will be similar additions to this drawing in the days to come. She looks at it curiously, but her attention is stolen by Tony's announcement that they were about to embark upon the most magical of movie marathons, and his earlier demeanor returns, as if someone flipped a switch.


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, I'm blown away. Thank you for the kind words! I know I'm uploading these rather quickly - but the content of the chapters are so tiny, and I feel as I'm cheating you guys if I wait long between updates. Hopefully, there are no complaints there!**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Not. Mine. Ever. **

_jae_

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><p><strong><em>Three<em>**

On the third day, she learns just how much she's given up, and how much she's gained.

In the last fifteen years, she had exchanged a country, a father, a family, and a lifestyle.

She's learning that fortunately, every one of them were upgrades.

She is confident that her present self wouldn't have made these risks if the reward wasn't far more valuable than the price she'd pay. This country, it becomes evident, has given her the ability to evolve as a person; provided her with luxuries she simply couldn't afford to consider in the war-like life she has left behind. This version of herself has let the walls around her slowly recede, and allowed people in. People that she_ wanted_ to let in.

During the visits from the man she calls Gibbs, it's apparent just how much of an emotional connection they've built between each other. Neither express themselves with many words, and in this way they are very much alike. The care that radiates off him more than atones for this. His hand is gentle as it occasionally taps her hand or stokes her hair, and they mostly keep a companionable silence whenever she runs out of questions about their jobs and their daily lives.

And like Gibbs, her adoptive father figure, it becomes clear she considers the other team members family as well. She is surprised each time they stop in just how much she's allowed them past her defenses, all those walls she put up so long ago. People she never would have looked for, but were everything she wanted.

It's only the third day since she'd woken up with no recollection of these five few, but already she's more comfortable with them and their presence than she has ever known in her real father's company.

When it becomes late, Ziva finds herself alone again in Tony's ever-present company. They lay quietly together on her bed, and he tells her more about the family they've all become - and how she was the missing part that made them whole. Her heart swells at his words, and she's never known this feeling of love; of family. She also feels some responsibility to them; though as if she left their lives, she would be responsible for taking a piece of their world with her. She never thought she'd feel a bigger obligation, a stronger pull, than the one of Mossad, but it appears she has been proven wrong.

Ziva muses aloud to him her amazement that she has truly left Israel, her _home. _And when she asks for the reasons, he takes him time considering his answers, trying to word them carefully about why she had left everything she knew behind.

Avoiding all of the painful answers that can wait for another day (so long as her memory returns soon) he simply tells her,

"Everything you found here - it supersedes all the heartbreak that Israel, Mossad, and your father have ever given you."

Sensing that he was trying to spare her from harsher memories, she accepts his explanation and let's the subject drop.

She lays there - his arm under her head, and her hand tracing the faint bruise along his jaw, legs intertwined - thinking deeply.

She may have forgotten many crucial elements about her life, but she is still painfully aware that occasionally, half truths and lies of omission are sometimes easier than facing bitter facts and traumatizing memories.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you again for all the alerts, favorites, and feedback. All of them have me smiling.**

_jae_**  
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><p><em><strong>Four<strong>_

On the fourth day, she learns that she will be able to go home.

She also discovers that though there are many others she has misplaced in her memory, there is one, crucial person she needed to be reminded of - more important than any of her adoptive family of five.

When Tony tells her the news after she had awoken, she mirrored his smile and, for the most part, his excitement. But insecurity began to crawl throughout her body. Being there, in her hospital room, with everything unchanging and familiar, had made this whole situation easier to deal with. But facing the prospect of going back _home, _a place she could not recall, had her becoming increasingly nervous.

Sensing this, Tony proceeds to comfort her and tells her there is nothing to worry about. They'll go home, and do the same things they do here. She laughs when he tells her she can finally bathe, and the thought of a nice, long bath does cheer her up considerably. Soon, she fines that, as scared as she is, she is beginning to look forward to going home with him the next day.

Late in the afternoon, he dismisses himself, disappearing as he does every day for several hours. And as always, he leaves looking tense, and arrives back much the same.

The sun had set when he finally arrives back. He walks in slowly, and she greats him with a smile that unconsciously appears on her face at the sight of him. Glancing at her expression, his own softens. Checking behind the door quickly, he leaves it ajar and slowly makes his way toward her.

She looks at him curiously. His hair is disheveled, and when he sighs, he runs a hand through his hair, and it looks as though that has been a frequent gesture throughout his day.

There is something he needs to tell her, he says, but makes her promise him that she'll stay calm.

She chuckles uncomfortably, and of course his words have the opposite effect on her.

"I promise to remain calm," She attempts to tease lightly, "Now just tell me what you need to say."

He studies her for a moment, and resolve floods his features. He bends down to place a kiss on her brow, and turns around to the still open door.

"Alright, c'mon in." Tony says softly, nearing the entrance.

Hesitantly, a dark figure steps around the door and enters the room. As the low light lands on him, she can make out his face, and observes that he is _definitely_ not alone.

Her focus shifts from Tony, to Gibbs' tall figure, and finally comes to rest on the small, sleeping, little girl tucked tightly into Gibbs' arms.

No older than three, with tanned, golden skin that glowed in the low light, her peaceful face was surrounded by a halo of light brown, and very relaxed, curls; nothing compared to how she knew her own curls to be. Her fists are clenched around Gibbs' shirt, and the sight of this beautiful, little girl takes her breath away. Tony looks at her uncertainly, and she realizes her mouth has fallen open. He comes over and sits down next to her, carefully taking her hand in his. She grips his back tightly, steeling herself for what he's about to say. She looks up briefly and locks gazes with Gibbs; His eyes are shining and his mouth is curved in a rare smile.

Before Tony even utters the words, she knows this little girl is undeniably her own.


	5. Chapter 5

_****_**Another thank you to all who have favorited, reviewed, and added my story to their alerts! And thanks to those who review each chapter, I appreciate it very much!**

**This one got a little sappy; I couldn't make myself cut anything out. My apologies.**

**Note: I use the name that I use in my previous two stories. I don't really consider them related, but I have a thing for consistency. Bear with me.**

_****jae_

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><p><em><strong>Five<strong>_

On the fifth day, she learns how to be a mother again.

Although she learned of her existence the previous night, the little girl slept peacefully through the entirety of her visit. This, Tony reasoned, was to make it easier for both mother and daughter.

Gibbs had allowed the family some time alone, and went on what he truly considered a futile mission to find something - anything - that constituted as coffee. He left the three surrounding Ziva on her small bed, smiling as he went.

And so Tony tells her all that is vital she knows before she returns home to them tomorrow, adjusting Ziva to motherhood with baby steps.

Ziva strokes her daughters fine curls hesitantly as Tony tells her about this amazing, little person.

He tells her that her name is Piper. _Piper Talia_. Tony tells her he insisted they remembered her sister this way, so that her memory could live on. Ziva's eyes fill at this, and can't help but test the name herself, tasting how it feels to say. She discovers that she loves it, finding this name a perfect fit for such a precious child.

He tells her that they speak to each other in Hebrew, and how proud Ziva is because she is learning so quickly. She often calls Piper little names in different languages, but the one she favors the most is _tatehleh_. He tells her she was born almost a month in advance, and arrived in January, about three and a half years ago, rather than February. She was a quiet baby, and very observant.

He tells her how she is still very much the same; quiet, but not shy, and sometimes so observant and intelligent, it catches them by surprise. She has the ability to wrap anybody around her little fingers. She's affectionate; as well as a snuggler, Tony warns with a chuckle. Cartoons have never entertained her, and they spend sunday nights curled up as a family watching old classics that their daughter watches transfixed. She has a taste for the classics, much to Tony's evident delight. She loves sleepovers with her "Grampa" Gibbs, and helping him build boats. And much like the futile effort it is to requisition Ziva from her weapons, you cannot get Piper to part from her baby duck pillow pet that their own Ducky gave her when she was born.

Ziva grows more awestruck with everything she learns, but Tony tells her there is one very important thing she should know.

"Our little girl," he begins, "Absolutely worships the ground you walk on."

Ziva smiles and presses a kiss to Piper's head then, and let's go of the tears that had remained unshed.

**oOo**

As much as Tony prepared her, Ziva has come as close as one can get to a nervous breakdown as they pull up to their home the following day.

She still doesn't have her memory back, and she now has to go upstairs into their home and pretend to their daughter that her whole world hasn't been unhinged from it's axis.

Tony pulls into a parking space outside one of the more higher scale apartment buildings D.C has to offer, and puts their car in park. He turns to look at her, but she continues to stare determinedly out the passenger window.

"She's not going to notice," He begins gently, "And all she cares about is having you home. She _adores_ you. She's the easiest child in the world."

Ziva's stoic mask fails for a brief moment, but he sees the emotions that flash quickly on her face. After all the years spent on understanding her expressions and committing them to memory, he realizes what the problem is once he sees the emotion flicker across her face.

"Don't you dare feel guilty." Tony growls at her forcefully, "You _know_ her. This is temporary. and it's not your fault."

Tony, sensing her need for a few moments to prepare herself, reaches for her hand and offers her a reprieve in the form of these few, silent moments sitting in the car; the past few days, and reality, effectively blocked out.

Ziva smiles without humor in amazement at how perceptive, how attuned he is to all aspects of her.

**oOo**

They make it outside their apartment door.

Tony, throwing caution to the winds, looks over his shoulder to Ziva as he frees the correct key from his overloaded keychain.

"We good?"

She smirks, and can't help but be grateful for him giving her one, final out to prolong this next step.

And she can't help but deflect with his choice defense mechanism of humor.

She gives him a coy look and returns, "That is the rumor."

He gives her a grin, and she hears the lock tumble as the door opens to reveal her home.

He leads her through the brief hallway and she ends up in what she assumes is the living room. And though she doesn't remember anything about this place, somehow it feels familiar. it's warm, clean, and welcoming; she can see herself living here.

She doesn't have much time to take in her surroundings, however, before she hears a squeal of "_Momma!_", and a small figure hurls itself at her legs with surprising force.

Gibbs appears moments later off another room, and Tony bends down to greet their daughter to give Ziva a moment to adjust.

But whether it was instinct, or resolution in Ziva, she didn't need his vigilance. She bent down and looked her daughter in her eyes for the first time, bringing her hand up to cradle her small face.

"_Shalom, tatehleh,_" she says softly, "I have missed you."

Piper smiled, winding her hands through her mother's curls, and nuzzled her face into the crook of Ziva's neck.

With all of the innocence of a child, she murmured, "Missed ya, Momma. Loves ya."

And how, Ziva ponders, could she have been so afraid of this?


	6. Chapter 6

**I promise the remaining chapters aren't even close to as fluffy as this turned out to be. My apologies, hope you enjoy regardless!**

**A quick thank you to those who favorited, alerted, and reviewed me, and for those who faithfully review each chapter; I appreciate it tremendously, and love to hear how much you guys are enjoying this story!**

**Also: Guilty of being a Charmed fan, the name is a favorite of mine.**

_jae_

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><p><em><strong>Six<strong>_

On the sixth day, she learns the true meaning of _home_.

The morning dawns and brings with it what looks to be a promising, refreshing spring day. She wakes just as the sun begins to lighten the dark sky, and she watches lazily as the sun's light permeates their quiet bedroom, leaving the peace undisrupted. She only wishes the sun brought with it any reminder of the years her brain has temporarily misplaced.

There are other positives to be thankful for, she thinks, as her gaze shifts from the large window of their bedroom to fall upon her companions.

She is laying in Tony's bed. _Their_ bed, she corrects herself. Tony is lying no more than an arm's length away from her, demonstrated by his arm that is extended towards her hip. His face is peaceful in sleep, she muses, and so very relaxed.

Lying between them is Piper, whom who snuck very quietly into their bed sometime during the night. The fact that she achieved this without waking the resting ninja is quite a feat, and Ziva smiles down at the little girl, impressed with her accomplishment. She awoke to find their daughter snuggled into her side, clad in only an oversized, and very worn, red Ohio State shirt.

And she must concede Tony was right; a snuggler indeed. Ziva reaches down to stroke her little girl's hair softly, and chuckles as she reaches to pull her tiny thumb out of her mouth. Evidently, the preciousness of this habit has allowed them to enable it. Instead of letting go of her little hand, Ziva holds on to it, brushing it with her thumb. Her smile widens as the little girl's hand unconsciously tightens over her fingers, and doesn't let go.

**oOo**

The first day home isn't action packed, but it is eventful. Piper keeps them occupied, and the distraction is welcomed by Ziva. Their daughter, it turns out, isn't anything Ziva's ever pictured toddlers to be. She throws no tantrums, nor does she run wild and uninhibited throughout the house, leaving chaos and mayhem in her wake. She follows her parents obediently and quietly when bored, and can keep herself occupied without resorting to destructive tendencies.

In an effort to get to know their daughter better, Ziva spends the day mostly doing activities of Piper's choice. They draw in her coloring book, have a very formal tea party with several of her most regal stuffed animals, and assist Tony in building a fort, which he later informs them, puts the _Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse_ to shame. Ziva can't recall a time where she's had enjoyed herself as much as she does while playing with Tony and their daughter.

When the clock edges closer to dinner time, Tony and Piper are still laughing away in the confines of their fort, so Ziva offers to cook.

"I'll hold down the fort," she hears him say to Piper, "Looks like Momma needs her most very special helper."

Ziva smiles at his helpful hint; evidently cooking is something they share together. She watches Piper crawl out from their fort with little difficulty, and she picks herself up and smiles at Ziva.

"I helps ya Momma, We make s'ghetti tonight, _be׳vakasha_?"

"Spaghetti sounds delicious," Ziva acquiesces with a smile, and gently lifts her up to rest on her hip in a move she's honed and mastered in no less than a day. Tony crawls out from their fort in a much less graceful manner, and follows his two exotic beauties into the kitchen, where he spends the next hour seated at the kitchen counter, watching the two chatter, laugh, and cook.

**oOo**

The day comes to an end, and the family of three has curled up together, lounging on the couch in front of what Tony has declared a cinematic masterpiece.

Piper's small body is draped lazily across both Tony and Ziva. Ziva strokes her daughter's head that's resting in her lap, while Tony occasionally tickles her small feet poking out from her blanket. Half way through their movie, and Indy's adventures evidently fail to keep the little girl enraptured, for Piper is soon asleep; thumb in mouth, snoring softly.

Tony moves to cover up her tiny feet under the blanket. "It's not even to the best part; my hopes for our daughter have fallen dramatically. Let's hope she absorbs more pop culture than you," he whines to his partner quietly.

Ziva smiles, eyes never leaving the screen. "I do not think you need to worry, from the way she quoted all of this Jones' persons lines, this is not her first time watching this movie."

Tony offers a sly grin, and shifts his arm to hold her free hand.

She smiles softly, squeezing his hand lightly.

Israeli Mossad assassin to Americana mommy.

_Stranger things have happen,_ she muses, as she glances at her partner.


	7. Chapter 7

**As always, a million thank you's for all of your responses! I love hearing your reviews, so leave one if you have the time! Enjoy.**

**Also: Sorry if my rudimentary hebrew is completely wrong and offends anyone, please feel free to correct me.**

_jae_

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><p><em><strong>Seven<strong>_

On the seventh day, she learns about the physical reminders that will never let her escape a painful past.

_It didn't occur to her earlier that day, though in retrospect, maybe it should have. _

It was late in the afternoon. Ziva, still on orders to not participate in any physically demanding activities, had been growing increasingly restless without being able to find release in any of the exercise her body has grown accustomed to through her entire life. In an effort to de-stress, as well as do something healthy for her body, she resorted to laying out a yoga mat she had uncovered in their bedroom and dedicated an hour to all the yoga stretches her mind could recall.

About thirty minutes into her routine, she heard a shuffling of feet on carpet, and opened her eyes, a reprimand on the tip of her tongue, expecting it to be Tony again coming to leer at her exercise attire; or rather, lack there-of. But her frown morphed into a pleasant smile as she discovered Piper; blanket in tow, her hair haphazardly thrown into a pony tail that was already coming undone.

She grinned at her mother and held up her blanket.

"_Tistakel! _I do yogas too wif ya momma?"

Ziva chuckled and nodded her head.

"_Ken, tatehleh. _But first, let us fix your hair._" _

Soon after that, yoga turned into laughing at Piper, who continued to laugh every time she attempted to imitate what Ziva was doing. After about twenty minutes, Ziva and Piper collapsed onto Ziva's bed, and Piper had crawled onto her mother's back and was now attempting to twist Ziva's hair into the same french braid her mother had replaced her hand-made ponytail into low on her head.

"_Gamur!" _Piper exclaimed enthusiastically from her perch on Ziva's back, patting Ziva's head with a giggle. She let her hands fall and started tracing the exposed spans of Ziva's back. Ziva chuckled, and they sat there in silence peacefully; Ziva resting her eyes, and Piper tracing her back with her tiny fingers. The peace was disrupted shortly, however, when Tony wandered into the bedroom. Evidently, Piper had been evading his attempts to put her in the bathtub, and had sought refuge with her mother. Piper, sensing her impending capture, lowered her head to gingerly kiss her mother's back. Though confused by the gesture, it soon slipped from Ziva's mind as she watched Tony approach the giggling toddler and quickly scoop her into his arms to carry her out of the room towards the hall bathroom.

Once she heard the sounds of laughter and water running, Ziva stretched and decided to finally entertain the long, hot bath she had been craving.

**oOo**

As she began preparing for her bath, her reflection in the mirror caught her attention. She'd bathed before today, but the steam from her showers had left the mirrors fogged, and, though unwilling to admit it to herself, she had been avoiding looking at her reflection too closely, afraid of the differences she would see in her face from the last fifteen or so years. But with her back exposed, saved for her sports bra, to the mirror, her curiosity overruled her aversion, and her eyes widened as she took in the golden expanse of her back.

Her heart began beating at a rapid tempo as she took in the faded scars and abrasions marring her tanned skin. These marks, and _so many_, zig zagged, cut, and scoured her back, and for the life of her she couldn't begin to fathom what had caused them. Breathing deeply to calm herself, her rational side appeased her; noticing that these marks, whatever they were from, were quite faded, and weren't as sinister looking as they must have been originally. Still, she could not keep her mind from conjuring up different scenarios in which she had come to acquire them.

Piper's gestures from earlier now making more sense, Ziva drained the tub and made her way back to her bed; any desire for her bath gone.

**oOo**

Some time later, when the room had steadily grown darker as the sun set and night fell, Tony cracked open the door to their bedroom, and took in the sight of Ziva curled up on the bed, yoga attire still present.

She heard him step into the room, closing the door quietly, and the dip in the mattress indicated he had sat down near her feet on the edge of the bed.

Without preamble, Tony asked lightly, "Do all ninjas share the same aversion to baths?"

Ziva turned her head to face him, humoring him with a small smile. A master in the many faces and emotions of Ziva David, Tony realized he had missed something.

"What's up?' He never claimed he was a master of providing emotional comfort.

Ziva was silent for a few moments, as though she was considering how to word her question. Giving up, she uttered her question quietly.

"The scars," A pause, "What am I not remembering . . . Tony?"

The way his face darkens makes her stomach drop and him unrecognizable.

"Piper said nothing the whole day; what does she know? There was no way she did not see-"

"Piper knows nothing," He cuts her off, "She just knows that they're there. And she doesn't mind them - stopped asking questions a long time ago." He says curtly.

Ziva pauses as relief floods through her briefly. "Tony . . ." She swallows, "What happened?"

Stealing himself for the explanation that's about to come, he grasps hold of her hand and looks hard at the opposite wall.

"Summer of 2009. The summer you exceeded and maxed out your damsel in distress quota. I've never liked those kinds of movies."

**oOo**

That, out of every memory, was the one he wished she's forever be able to forget.

Any memory that had to do with sand, hell-like heat, unforgiving deserts, and caf-pow swigging terrorists named Salim.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all the responses! I incorporated a little more dialogue into this chapter, so consequently it's a bit longer.**

**Enjoy :o)**

_jae_

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><p><em><strong>Eight<strong>_

On the eighth day, she learns again how to tango with one Very Special Agent.

She begins the new day determined to keep her spirit up, despite the revelations of the previous evening.

Waking up, she performs the same mental assessment she's conducted every morning since the lapse in her memories. And like every morning prior, she's despondent once she quickly concludes she's still drawing a blank.

She sighs, exasperated, and throws one of their down pillows over her head in momentary defeat. That's when she realizes that there is _something_ different this particular morning. Removing the pillow veiling her vision, she catalogs her surroundings and realizes she's alone; no Tony, and no little night time visitor. Accustomed to being the first one awake since she had returned home, this throws her off a little.

She did not have to wait long, however, until their lack of attendance was explained. The sound of small feet paddling across hardwood preceded the arrival of Piper. The sound of feet on floor halt, and Ziva waited as her little head appeared as she cracked the bedroom door open wider. Ziva gave her a little wave, and Piper, encouraged by the wave and the fact her mother had awoken, smiled and entered the room, coming to a stop at her mother's side of the bed.

"_Boker tov!_" she exclaimed brightly, arms bent and hands curled around the straps of a small backpack. Ziva took in her appearance, noticing she was already groomed and ready for the day, as well as donning shoes.

"_Boker tov, tatehleh_," Ziva returned smiling, reaching a hand out to play with the half-formed curls of her hair. "And where are you headed to so early in the day?"

Piper giggled, and captured Ziva's hand that was adorned with her wedding ring and began to examine it with little fingers.

"An' Abby an Unca Tim are takin' me and Todd to da '_Quairium_!" She said excitedly, "Daddy says I gets to see da fishies like in _Finding Nemo_."

"Don't forget the sharks!" Tony's voice caused them both to look toward the door. Tony was leaning casually against the frame, smiling softly with his arms crossed. He continued, "Aunt Abby's at the door, _principessa_. You ready?"

Piper nodded enthusiastically and turned to lean in and kiss her mother on the cheek.

"_Shl'om_ Momma. I takes pictures of da Sharks!" Grinning, she turned to skip over to Tony.

"_Ciao_, Daddy!" she smiled up at him.

"That's my multi-lingual ninja," Tony laughed, and leaned down to kiss her on her small brow.

"Be good. Don't fall in the tank and get eaten. You are perfect fish food."

Piper giggled and skipped out of the room and down the hall. Once they heard the distant shut of a door, Ziva turned to Tony.

"What is a Ne-mo? And a Todd?"

Surprise flickers across his face, but then melts into a grin.

"The former is the only animated movie our daughter will watch," he begins, chuckling, "And Todd is her BFF and our 'nephew' ; Abby and McSpawn's son."

Ziva nods and processes this new information, her surprise only mild because honestly, the things she doesn't know are too long of a list. Instead, another question demands an answer.

"What is BFF?"

Groaning, Tony rolls his eyes heavenward, the regression in her americanization appearing to cause him physical discomfort.

"You assimilated much more than I gave you credit for. All our progress..." He trails off with a sigh, walking to their bathroom and closing the door, letting the sentence hang in the air. Evidently the thought will not be completed, because a few minutes later and the shower kicks on. She huffs, dissatisfied, and throws off the covers to get up.

**oOo**

She paddles towards the bathroom and enters without preamble moments after he's stepped into the shower, making her way towards the sink.

"_Jesus_, _woman_," Tony yelps from behind the steamed fogged glass, "Were you ever familiar with boundaries in your life?"

Looking up from the sink, Ziva squints in the mirror at the shower reflected from behind her and responds, perplexed.

"We are married, are we not? And I do believe your being naked was necessary when procreating our daughter."

Inside the shower, Tony's bar of soap nearly slips through his fingers.

"Just trying to respect your fragile state of health," he recovers, stating evenly. "I don't know if you've noticed, but my intimidating good looks can be overwhelming."

Ziva snorts, rolling her eyes but otherwise ignoring his last comment.

"I do believe I have heard the worst of the surprises," she remarks, and Tony remains silent. _Silence speaks volumes_, she muses, and files the observation away for later. She continues, "Besides, it is not like you are the one with a lapse in memory; you know what I look like n-"

"You're not helping things, stop projecting images into my head," he groans, muttering, "Forgot I'm dealing with Ziva the Mossad Minx."

The Minx in question grins in satisfaction, finding enjoyment in teasing him. This banter they engage in together comes so easily to her, and the time she spends with Tony is the most relaxed she's felt since waking up. And this; the predatory-like word play, comes naturally and is something she _knows_ and is familiar with. She turns back to her reflection, and for the first time studies the face of the woman she's getting to know in the mirror. She's pleasantly surprised that age has not yet really graced her features. Her hair is more relaxed, lighter than her natural color but compliments her face just as nicely. She raises her hand experimentally and traces her features, relieved that everything still looks familiar.

She doesn't notice Tony standing behind her until he obnoxiously shakes his wet hair, sending water droplets falling onto her back side. Embarrassed at both being snuck up on, while staring into a mirror of all things, and at being caught looking at herself, she glares at him reproachfully.

Tony smiles and leans down to brush his lips across her shoulder. He looks into the mirror to meet Ziva's eyes, and she can't prevent the faint tinge that colors her cheeks.

"See? You become more beautiful with every day." He says softly, giving her an intimate smile. Ziva smiles shyly, surprised by the emotions that flare from his words and actions. She fights the overwhelming urge to turn around and melt into his embrace, but she's all too aware of how confusing this situation is, and how he's still covered only with a towel.

And because the sound of silence comes with the territory of their partnership, Tony knows how to read and navigate it, and knows the confliction she's dealing with; only _too_well. However, the gambles he's made with Ziva in the past are generally received with favorable results.

Slowly he reaches his hand out to cradle her cheek. Searching her face and finding no discomfort, he leans down and presses a warm, soft kiss to her lips. He feels her smile against him, and he draws back to give her a look that spoke volumes.

Tony's well aware that the Ziva he has right now isn't the softened, americanized version. But he's confident without a doubt that that version was always there, buried and protected even all those years ago, when she waltzed into his bullpen and demanded to know about the conduct of his phone sex.

**oOo**

The purpose for Piper being dispelled from their home for the day becomes clear later. Tony explains he wanted her to have a quiet day, understanding that the past few days must have been a little exhausting. They spend the day relaxing with one another, building blocks again in their relationship that her memory wiped temporarily clean.

She is sitting on the floor, leaning against his legs and the couch, while he gently massages her shoulders. Empty plates and glasses from dinner are scattered across the coffee table; an empty bottle of wine catching the glare from the low light. All the while, they've been chatting amiably, him recalling different memories of their partnership.

He falls silent after his monologue about all the traffic violations he's saved her from over the years, and she muses thoughtfully.

"Tony?"

"_Hmm_?" He murmurs, brushing her hair over her shoulder to continue kneading her shoulder blades.

"When did you . . . When did we fall in love?" And she's surprised as he is by the very un-Ziva like question that comes out of her mouth. Keeping the teasing out of his answer, he decides to answer seriously.

"I don't know when exactly I _fell_, but I finally admitted it to myself only when I thought you were gone forever." Tony says softly. He continues thoughtfully, "Bought your wedding ring the week after we were official though. Couldn't let you go again." He grins at the memory. He finishes his administrations to her back, and she gets up, laying down next to him and snuggled into his lap.

After a few moments, she utters a quiet "Thank you."

Pausing his hand on her arm he was rubbing back and forth, he mumbles softly.

"For what?"

She sits up, her messy curls cascading over her face as she gazes at him with _that_ look. She pauses uncertainly, but then leans in slowly, catching his lips with hers experimentally for a soft kiss, once, twice - three in succession.

"For this life."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hope everyone is having a nice weekend! Here is a chapter for you to enjoy during your down time. Unfortunately, my weekends are always busy and occupied by my job. **

**Disclaimer: I haven't disclaimed in a while. Not much has changed. Not mine.**

_jae_

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><p><em><strong>Nine<strong>_

On the ninth day, she learns that her recovery isn't hopeless.

After nine, long days of constant re-adjustment, Ziva finds herself desperate for anything to trigger a glimpse into her fully competent mind.

She's discovered, however, that although she can't recall her memories, specific things throughout the day will trigger tangible emotions and at least _something_ familiar.

She's noticed it in the way she brushes Piper's hair; how her hands manipulate it into her daughter's favorite style without her request, as if on auto-pilot; whenever Tony brushes his hand on her arm, her body is attuned to the gesture and the flood of emotions that react leave her overwhelmed. And after tucking in Piper for the night, her hand flicks the hall light on automatically on her way back to her bedroom. She doesn't realize the significance until a couple nights later, when Tony beats her to it as he explains they do this every night in case she wakes up to find them, that she had been doing it without ever being reminded.

But finally, something substantial happens, and Tony is present and observes this phenomenon early in the evening on the ninth day.

Ziva is in the kitchen, preparing to cook dinner, and Tony is seated at the dining table with Piper, the two working on a _Thank You_ card for her most favorite Aunt and McUncle. As the first aromas of dinner cooking begin to waft from the kitchen, Tony leaves Piper to her own devices to seek his Israeli master chef; once he carefully secures her very favorite glitter glue high above in a cabinet, that is.

When he comes to lean against the kitchen door, he finds Ziva in her element; spices and bottles litter the counter space, vegetables chopped and organized neatly by the stove, and chicken, sliced and sizzling in her most favored pan. Almost obscured by the sounds of her cooking are the faint tones of Sinatra, crooning from their handy stereo that's fastened under the kitchen cabinet; a gift McGee gave them last christmas. He smiles as he takes in her relaxed stance, appreciating the way she loses herself in her cooking. And he can't help but tease her, only because he's suddenly overwhelmed by how much he adores her.

And so he proceeds to announce himself in pure DiNozzo fashion.

"_Whatcha cookin', good lookin'?_"

Ziva chuckles and glances at him over her shoulder.

"A simple stir fry. . . . Would you like to help?"

"I'd be delighted," Tony says with a wink, as he makes his way over to stand by her side. Rolling up his sleeves, he queries, "Where to, _bossy_?"

She narrows her eyes, batting him playfully with her current utensil, and commands, "Seasonings; you may choose."

The way Tony's eyes light up is almost as amusing as his enthusiasm. Quickly, he squats down to be eye level with the many spices and sauces cluttered on the counter top. Ziva had accumulated quite a collection over the years; half of which Tony could neither identify or even _read._ He was pretty sure she didn't speak any kind of asian dialect, but he also didn't make it a habit to underestimate her.

Zoning in on a bottle that had to be scribbles and not any spoken language, he had barely opened it when Ziva's hand shot out to cover it.

"_Tony_, _no__, tafsik__!_" she exclaimed in a combination of strangled English and Hebrew. She quickly snatched the bottle out of his hands, turning around to place it far away from him. "Piper cannot have this, she is allergic to peanuts! Do you not remember her birthday party, what are you thin-" Ziva stopped her fast tirade mid sentence and spun around to stare at Tony, hand still hovering in the air, who was looking at her completely nonplussed.

Ziva meets his eyes, staring at him wide-eyed.

". . . You have not told me that." she says quietly, the sizzling chicken all but forgotten on the stove top.

Tony shakes his head vigorously.

"Nu-uh," he says quickly. He stares at her for a few moments, then adds slowly, "Though in retrospect, that is a pretty important thing that I most definitely should have told you." He pauses, then amends, "Well, the birthday party not so much." He gives himself a quick slap to the back of the head. Recovering from his shock, he looks at her with a smile stretching widely on his face. He moves closer to her and runs his hands over her arms. "Are you remembering anything else?" he asks her excitedly.

She closes her eyes in concentration for a few moments, but shakes her head. "I do not think so," she opens her eyes to look at him and groans in frustration. "Nothing!"

Tony looks at her, and notices the very rare, but very real tears beginning to pool in her eyes. Still smiling, he leans down to press his lips to her forehead, letting them linger.

"Hey," he murmurs, then pulls back to look at her, "It's progress! That was pretty cool," he says with a grin, "And you remembered something pretty damn important about your daughter. Maybe a few more of those fast triggers and you'll be back to your normal self in no time!" He runs his hand down her arm; intertwining his fingers with hers, finally drawing a smile out of her.

Satisfied, he turns around and tugs her along, her hand still in his.

"Now, lets finish dinner; you know Italians get very cranky when they're hungry, and our daughter, believe it or not, has inherited quite a bit of my prestigious heritage," he lectures her seriously.

Ziva rolls her eyes good-naturedly and is about to open her mouth to speak when Tony, sensing the impending verbal smack-down, acts hastily and presses a soft kiss to her lips. Chuckling against his mouth, Ziva concedes; he brings his free hand to her cheek, but it's _her_ who deepens the kiss.

As she wound her arms around his neck, she spared a very brief thought for the chicken, hoping it wouldn't burn.


	10. Chapter 10

**__Hello! My sincere apologies for the lack of updates. School has started up again so I've been extremely busy. Hopefully the next update won't take quite so long!**

****_jae_

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><p><em><strong>Ten<strong>_

On the tenth day, she learns the meaning of the phrase _life flashing before your eyes._

The memories begin to jolt through her head sporadically after the seventh day. She's with Gibbs, and in an elevator of all places, when the first stream of memories jar her consciousness.

He had shown up that morning just after breakfast, prepared to take Ziva out and around D.C to do some small errands, hoping that fresh air and re-familiarizing herself with their city would kick her stubborn head into gear. Though Ziva has thoroughly enjoyed her time spent with Tony and Piper, she could not deny the strain she is feeling of constantly pretending everything is fine. She accepts Gibbs offer graciously, craving the easiness his company endows.

He takes her to an organic market; a favorite of hers, he explains. Her hobby of cooking is one that has always been able to sooth her, distract her.

Well played, Jethro Gibbs.

She soon loses herself in the isles of bountiful produce, her cart a conglomerate of different foods that provide many possibilities for tonight's dinner. She chuckles quietly as Gibbs takes in the abundance of groceries and announces he's staying for dinner.

"Dinner is the least I can do," she tells him with a smile, "_Toda." _

"Don't mention it, David," he answers gruffly, but can't help the smile his mouth betrays. "Now come on, Miss America, let's get to the check out before you buy the whole store."

**oOo**

"So you are telling me that none of these rules are written down?"

Their arms are full of grocery bags by the time they finally make it back to her apartment. Opting for the elevator because convenience and pounds of groceries outweighs four flights of stairs, they head toward the cabin while continuing an earlier conversation.

Gibbs grins at Ziva's indignant expression, and presses the button to recall the elevator to the ground floor.

"Nope. Gonna really make your life difficult if you don't end up remembering any of my rules."

Ziva offers him a groan of exasperation in response, and when the elevator dings she turns her attention to the opening doors. The pair step inside and adjust their heavy bags.

The doors close, and when the elevator jerks to life, Ziva turns to glance at Gibbs.

"Well, clearly I do not need to learn all of them. You said I have broken several already, yes?" She says to him smugly, a smirk spreading across her face. Much like with Tony, she has discovered playful banter is another thing her and Gibbs share. She also enjoys seeing just how much she can push his buttons, watching his tough act fall apart once she gets him to laugh.

Gibbs turns to give her what promises to be a truly withering glare, but breaks when he looks at her smirk. Laughing, he brings his hand up to lightly smack the back of her head.

Ziva's laughter cuts off suddenly as her body freezes and shock slips across her features.

It takes Gibbs only a few seconds to notice. Dropping his groceries to the ground, one arm whips out to smack the emergency break while the other grasps onto her arm as he crouches in front of her, all of his attention focused on her. She's still for what seems like an eternity, until finally awareness floods her face and she takes a deep breath. Her eyes focus again and snap to Gibbs, whose face is one of total concern.

"David?" Gibbs voice is gruff, not even attempting to mask his worry. His grip on her arm tightens as he sees tears begin to flood her eyes.

Ziva breathes deeply in attempt to steady herself, and closes her eyes.

"Give me a moment." Her voice comes out steady, and Gibbs nods in acquisition as she regains control of herself. He removes his arm from hers and relieves her of her shopping bags that she's held in a death-grip for the past couple minutes, setting them on the ground gently. He straightens up, reaching an arm out, faltering before making contact with her, unsure of whether touching her would be the best idea.

Ziva, seeing the movement, nodded, and that was all the confirmation Gibbs needed before he pulled her into a hug. He brought his arms around her, not offended when her arms remained at her side. A small sob racked her body, and Gibbs held her until she spoke.

"Ari . . . Ari is dead."

It wasn't a question, but Gibbs answered her anyway.

"Yes."

She nods and falls silent for several minutes, processing the bombardment of memories she just experienced.

When she speaks again, her voice is more composed.

"I killed Ari. To save you?"

Gibbs sighed and hugged her tighter.

"Yes."

"In your basement."

Gibbs pulled back to look at her, and hesitantly wiped the tears off her face. Sighing again, he nodded.

"I'm sorry, Ziva."

Ziva gave him a small, watery smile.

"I know. I am sorry, too, Gibbs. For Caitlin."

He jerked his head in a nod.

"You remember it all?"

Ziva shook her head.

"Flashes. Bits and pieces. It is like a movie in chips."

"_Clips_, David."

Ziva rolls her eyes, and hastily tries to wipe them dry. Gibbs takes her in his arms again, holding her tightly and rocking her body.

"Wasn't your fault, David. You have always been separate from him. And you've done a lot of good. You _are _good. Always remember that."

Ziva nods into his shoulder and finally brings her arms up to wind around him.

Gibbs lowers his mouth to her ear as he spoke quietly.

"If he hadn't come here, you wouldn't have either, Ziva. Rule number eight."

Ziva's sob turned into a muffled laugh against his shirt, and he chuckled along with her.

They stood embraced together as the minutes ticked by; Gibbs holding her in silence as they remain suspended in the elevator. She clings to him, discovering once again for the first time what it's like to be comforted by a father.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Long time, no talk._**

Sorry about that rather spontaneous hiatus. Unfortunately for you all, I both work full time and go to school. Consequently, I have had little time to write. But I also became sidetracked by another idea I had that I wanted to write out while it was fresh in my mind :o)

To make up for the delay, I made this one longer than usual. It came out a little more angsty and what I fear more dramatized than I intended, but hopefully it reads well for you.

**x**

In response to some of your comments in the last chapter; As far as using "David" more than "Ziva", I've just noticed that whenever Gibbs and Ziva have their more serious and emotionally heavy moments, they become more formal. Sorry if it didn't read right for you!

Also: I personally just don't like reading the name "Ziver" in fanfic, mainly because I feel like the nickname is an infliction Harmon has on her name. I absolutely recognize him using the nickname, but I just hear it in my head in parts of fanfic when I read it, if that makes sense?

& Finally: Yes, I'm aware he _does_ have the rules written down; but he's always maintained to his team that they aren't :p so that's why I wrote it that way.

**x**

Thank you for your constructive comments, and for all of you who are enjoying this story. Enjoy the latest installment :o)

**Disclaimer(s): **1. **I'm sad that I don't own any part of NCIS. **2.** I _loved _the "Secrets" Episode incredibly; it was very old school NCIS.**

3.** I'm mad at myself for enrolling in two language classes this semester.**

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><p><em><strong>Eleven<strong>_

On the eleventh day, she learns that even in her amnesic state, her mind isn't safe from the nightmares.

Ziva, stoic as ever, had emerged from the elevator determined to keep her emotions in check, and the Ari box sealed tightly shut. After Gibbs relayed what transpired to Tony, his concern had been waved off by Ziva with a small smile and a quick, "_I'm fine._" Tony let it go, though knowing she was anything but with the tension rolling off of her in almost discernible waves.

He should have anticipated the repercussions it could have, but enough time had passed since _the last one_ that he no longer expected them. Piper had only been a few weeks old when Ziva last awoke in a fit of panic, and Tony related it to the stress and guilt she struggled with when first becoming a mother. The nightmares had began to plague her after her return from Somalia, and the intensity of them had taken Tony by surprise. And every time they occur, they are just as terrible as the night when Tony first bore witness to them.

Her ultimately futile efforts to hide them from Tony in the beginning of their relationship didn't last long. She was careful not to be so vulnerable around him and risking him finding out. Tony associated her avoidance of spending the night together those first few weeks of dating to their shared aversion and struggle with commitment. But one of their late movie nights resulted in them passing out together on her couch, and Tony woke long before Ziva finally filtered back to reality from her tortured conscious.

The nightmares never fail to render her defenseless. Her subconscious truly is her worst enemy. It isn't anything her training, skills, and assets are capable of protecting her from.

In the real world, she's conquered enemies, fate, and even death; there is always a way to control a situation, _a weapon for every battle_. But the rules of reality don't apply once over the threshold of the subconscious world. It is irony at it's best that one of her greatest weaknesses is herself; the capability of her mind to conjure up her darkest memories and the moments she so desperately desires to never relive. She emerges from these nightmares with the choked feeling of sand in her throat, the heat sweltering on her skin, and ringing in her ears of the commands in a language that to this day make her flinch. The owners of these voices haunt her in the darkness of which she wakes in, and before Tony joined her at night, the sun and it's shadow eliminating glow was her only liberator from her subconscious. It's memories aren't always the culprit, but Somalia is the most recurring theme in her nightmares.

It hadn't occurred to Tony to tell her about them.

That's what's frustrating about hindsight; it's always 20/20.

**oOo**

Exhausted and drained from the events of the day, and from her efforts at keeping up her facade of calm up for Piper, Ziva was more than ready to curl up and let sleep ease her conscious for a few precious hours.

After quietly shutting the door to Piper's room once she and Tony had tucked her in for the night, Ziva allowed her weariness to slip as she slumped against the door and looked up to meet Tony's gaze. Though concern shown in his eyes, he chuckled softly and gave her a soft smile that turned into a smirk at her attempt to return a smile of her own.

"You know what I think?" he asked her thoughtfully.

"You are capable of formulating thoughts?" she teased lightly.

He gave her a throaty chuckle as he snuck an arm around her waist lightly to guide her back toward their bedroom. She slumped against him, surrendering in her attempts to remain indifferent from the stress she was feeling.

"_Cute_," he replied sarcastically, before continuing.

"I vote in favor of not leaving the bed once tomorrow."

Ziva's laughter reverberated against him. Pushing open their door, they broke apart to climb into bed. Once settled under the covers and against Tony, she responded.

"_Hmm _. . . It does sound tempting. But I do not anticipate Piper being particularly thrilled about it."

Tony snorted and snaked an arm between her back against him and began softly scratching her back.

"_Ziva_, _tereso, _Italian is in her blood. She is capable of sleeping for as long as she desires."

It was Ziva's turn to snort as her eyes fluttered shut. She searched for Tony's free hand and traced it experimentally with her fingers.

"If you can make _that _happen I will let you pick all of the movies we watch tomorrow. Assuming you will force me to watch movies."

"Technically, _today. _ It's zero-oh twelve. And you assumed correctly. You're on, _sweetcheeks_."

Ziva muttered in a string of Hebrew under her breath, and Tony smiled into her hair as they drifted off to sleep.

**oOo**

He doesn't know which woke him first; her strangled cry, or what he assumes was an elbow to his ribcage as he jolts awake and takes all about five seconds to adjust to what's happening. Through the sting of whip-lash, he spins around and targets the small lamp on the night table besides his pillow, switching it on, and the warm glow of the light permeates through the room, eradicating the dark and shadows.

He is up and moving beside Ziva on her side of the bed within moments. The adrenaline pounding in his ears blocks out the agonized noises coming from her, and he spares little thought to the possibility of Piper waking up. He pulls her forcefully into a sitting position, the movement successfully shocking her back into reality. He learned long ago not to attempt and still her flailing limbs with force, because it only triggers the nightmares more, not to mention her endearing instinct to incapacitate.

Her eyes snap open, already filling with tears and blinking furiously, trying to focus. He backs up quickly, crouching down beside her and keeping eye contact.

"Ziva, _look at me_," he says slowly and forcefully.

Breathing heavy, Ziva's streaming eyes remain on his as she blinks rapidly.

"_Good_. Deep breaths," he said encouragingly, moving to stand up again. He pauses for a few moments, then speaks.

"I'm not going to touch you," he warns slowly, "I'm going to fix your pillows, and I want you to lean back." He paused, waiting to make sure she heard him, "Blink if that's okay."

Ziva blinked, and brought her hand up unconsciously to rub her throat while Tony moved closer and adjusted her pillows and blanket. Once he moved back and nodded, she leaned back against her pillow and the headboard, closing her eyes as she concentrated on returning her breathing back to normal.

Tony remained crouched by her as the minutes passed until her hand finally left her throat and found his resting on the bed. He grasped her's back tightly, as he waited her to calm down.

He was on the precipice of falling asleep crouched by the bed when Ziva finally spoke, jerking him awake.

"This. . . is something that occurs often?" her voice betrays her despite her efforts, coming out shakily.

Tony opens his eyes to see her staring ahead at the wall, small tears still trailing slowly down her cheeks. He sighs, reaching a hand out to wipe them away swiftly. Standing up, he groans as his body protests and opts to crawl over her onto the bed rather than make the long journey around. He positions himself against the headboard next to her, and brings her into his arms carefully.

"Used to," he finally answers her softly, "A lot after Somalia. Where it started," his voice laced with pain as he replies.

Ziva nodded against him. Taking a deep breath, she spoke softly.

"The things . . . I see . . . I _feel_ . . .in these dreams . . . they actually happened?" Her voice falters at the magnitude of what she's asking.

Tony's body jerked and he hugged her harder against him.

"I wish I could tell you no," he paused, "But all of the times this has happened before . . . you've said otherwise."

Silence settles between them for a while until it is Ziva who breaks it again.

"There was a man . . . Michael. In the beginning of my dream. Before he turned into . . ." she trailed off, swallowing loudly before she continued.

"He shot you. Killed you. He is someone I recognize . . . Mossad?"

Tony's hands running up and down her arms stilled while he digested her question.

"Yes," he said, finishing pointedly, "He _was_."

Ziva remained silent, but Tony felt her tears fall on the skin of his arms. Eventually, he shifted them so they were once again laying pressed against one another.

"Why tonight?"

Ziva's question was uttered so quietly he didn't register it for a few beats.

"Guess with the memory lapse about Ari yesterday, it stirred some old things up in that pretty head of yours."

She didn't respond to his answer, instead curling the blankets tighter around them, choosing not to dwell on the things she can and can't remember at this moment, and the things she can't help.

"Maybe Piper will be inclined to stay in bed all day with us if we allow her to choose our movie." She whispers some time later, trying to to recover and changing the subject, "You were right. We should not move from here for the whole day. I do not wish to leave the bed for the next twenty-four hours."

Tony awarded her a small chuckle, amazed at how determined she was to keep herself grounded and calm.

"She has excellent movie taste, so I have no trouble watching what she chooses. And by excellent taste, I mean _my_ excellent taste." He whispered smugly.

Ziva squeezed his hand tightly.

"_Toda, _Tony," she whispered, pausing,

"_Ani ohev otach."_

He chuckled as tears pricked the back of his eyes.

"I never get tired of hearing that, _sweetcheeks_," emotion laced in his voice. He squeezed her hand back, hard.

"I love you too, Ziva."


	12. Chapter 12

When she slips back into consciousness that morning, the warmth that encircles her has little to do with the sun that glows amiably from behind her eyelids.

She lays there, adjusting to reality, as the memories from the prior night come back to her. Her thoughts drift to Tony and she's conscious of his warm weight and increasingly familiar presence resting close to her. She registers his breathing, noting that he's awake, and her register of another presence precedes the small, warm hand that lightly touches her cheek by seconds.

"_Piper_," Tony's soft murmur warns, as if afraid to shatter the stillness that still surrounds this morning.

The touch from the small hand caressing her face becomes, if possible, even more lighter.

"Momma sleepin' late." Piper observes in a hushed tone.

Ziva's mouth betrays her, twitching in a smile that's threatening to break across her face. She can tell from Tony's tone that he caught the action, but he doesn't indicate to the little girl he noticed.

"Mommy was up late last night, _principessa_," he murmurs knowingly, "she'll wake up soon."

She feels Piper shift closer as her tiny hand strokes her cheek and face.

"_Ani Yoda'at. _Heard cryin.' Momma have bad dreams again?''

Ziva says a silent prayer that she is already feigning sleep to cover for how her body freezes at the question. She can almost hear Tony's brain kick into overdrive as he flounders for an answer for their very perceptive daughter. After a pregnant pause, he decides to answer the question with one of his own.

Keeping his voice light, he replies curiously.

"Now how d'you know that, munchkin?"

"Sometimes I hear ya's when I wanna come sleep in your bed," Piper says absently, as Ziva feels her hands begin to play with her hair. "But momma's 'kay, _ken? _We makes her feel better?" Piper's hands still their activity and Ziva again fights the small smile that her words trigger.

She hears Tony let out a small breath in what she assumes relief for an easy conversation.

"That's right, _principessa." _He chuckles, and she feels his weight shift from next to her. She feels Tony's warmth radiating off him as his face, covered in stubble, grazes the skin of her cheek and ear as he presses a light, warm kiss to cover her threatening smile.

"_Daddy! _Momma sleepin', r'member?"

His throaty chuckle reverberates against her at Piper's indignant exclamation. She feels him retreat, and his weight leaves the bed. Piper shift closer again, and Tony's footsteps pad across the bedroom as he continues to address Piper.

"Now keep an eye on your mom while I take a shower; No funny business." He says sternly.

Piper's small hands move into Ziva's hair again, twirling the curls around her small fingers.

"Momma makin' special breakfast, _ken_?' Piper questions very seriously. Ziva covers a wince as Piper pulls on a knotted curl and hears a soft _oops! _escape the little girl before she gently pats Ziva's hair in apology. The bathroom door creaks as Tony's answer comes from across the room.

"Of course, Sunday is _always_ special breakfast," he reminds her mock-seriously, and Ziva smirks at his helpful hint. She hears Tony shut the door, and she counts no less than five seconds before his deep falsetto begins singing a song that's familiar but one she can't quite place.

Piper giggles at his antics, and Ziva feels her shift closer and her hands leave her hair.

"I know you's awake, Momma," Piper's voice sing-songs.

Ziva awards her with a smirk, and Piper let's out a triumphant noise, reminding Ziva strongly of Tony.

"_Boker Tov, tatehleh," _Ziva murmurs, finally opening her eyes. Piper sits cross-legged before her, her hair a messy halo around her face, donned in a white undershirt and soft pink sweatpants.

She gives her a toothy grin, and Ziva's sure her heart must be melting.

"Mornin', momma. I _told_ daddy you were awakes." She says with exasperation. She crawls over, sitting herself on top of Ziva, smiling down at her.

Ziva laughs, trailing her hands over Piper's little legs until she reaches her exposed feet, tickling them lightly.

"I was, you are very observant, my love," She chuckles as she watches Piper squirm dramatically, laughing at the touch.

"_Momma, stop," _she laughs, grabbing Ziva's hands. Ziva surrenders, and their laughter subsides. Piper stares down at her thoughtfully, and she releases one of her mother's hands to grasp the Star of David pendant exposed on Ziva's neck. Ziva observes her face, smiling slightly at how strongly she resembles Tony when _he_ is thinking deeply. She feels her heartbeat increase when she realizes how much more comfortable she's become in these recent days, and how sitting here, with her daughter, is just as easy as breathing.

Bringing her hand up to smooth Piper's unruly hair down, she regards her curiously.

"What is troubling you, _tatehleh?"_

Piper's eyes focus on hers again before she responds.

"Daddy loves you lots, Momma." She says simply.

Ziva can feel her face betray surprise, and before she can formulate a response, Piper continues.

"He says nots to worry 'bout you, cuz you are super ninja, but i don't think he b'lieves that, cuz he aways worries 'bout you." She releases her grip on Ziva's pendent and spreads her hand on the bed besides her head to lean down and kiss her.

"Loves ya, Momma."

Perplexed, and overwhelmed by the unfamiliar feeling of being too perplexed to respond, she hugs Piper tightly to her, and the little girl snuggles into her side with practiced ease. They lay there quietly for a few minutes, as though the little girl is aware that she needs a few minutes to fight the lump in her throat and keep her emotions in check.

After several minutes, though, the spell is broken when Tony's voice spontaneously bellows a chorus of a new song. Laughing, the two shift to look at each other, and Piper sits up and regards her with expectation.

"We gon' have breakfast soon?"

Snickering, Ziva pokes her tummy.

"Is somebody very hungry this morning?" She chuckles, finally sitting up and throwing off the covers. "Let's go start now while your father is in the shower."

Piper scrambles off the bed and onto the floor quickly, grabbing her discarded stuffed dog that had definitely seen better days, before rushing toward the door.

"_Ken!" _she giggles, "Race ya, Momma."

Abandoning the warmth of her bed, Ziva moves toward the door to the hall, drumming her knuckles lightly on the bathroom door when she hears the water shut off.

**oOo**

He hears their laughter echo down the hall as he makes his way to the kitchen. Smiling, he approaches the doorframe, and leans against it as he takes in the activity before him.

Pipers tiny legs swing from her perch on the counter as she watches Ziva observantly pour batter into the frying pan on the stove top.

"Slow, _Ken?" _Piper questions.

Putting down the bowl, Ziva smiles at her, nodding.

"_Ken, _very good."

Piper smiles in response, and Ziva lifts her from the counter and against her hip with easy familiarity. He smiles proudly at the action, relieved to see how comfortable she is with their daughter.

Turning to place her on one of the barstools, Ziva finally notices Tony observing them. One of her dazzling smiles replaces the fleeting look of surprise on her face as she speaks to Piper.

"Look at who is clean, _tatehleh_."

Piper giggles as Ziva sets her down in her chair, and smiles at Tony.

Mirroring her smile, he greets his daughter in return.

"Hey, munchkin." Walking over to take a seat next to Piper, he throws at Ziva,

"Ninja senses on the fritz, Zi?"

Her eyes narrow both in confusion and suspicion, aware that she is being insulted. She ignores the jab, and busies herself cutting up Piper's breakfast into small pieces before coming around to place the plate in front of her. Tying Piper's hair back in a braid, she regards Piper conversationally.

"Your father must not want our special crepes, _tatehleh_." She says lightly, smiling at him mischievously. Tony smirks at her, and Piper turns to look at him. Grinning, she offers her fork to him.

"Daddy you wants some, _ken?"_

He grins appreciatively, accepting her fork and groaning dramatically as he samples the small serving.

"_Delizioso_." He confirms, and gives Piper her fork back. Ziva comes to stand next to him, while Piper happily continues eating.

Though she seems much more relaxed than he anticipated after the events of last night and this morning, he can still see the strain that mars her otherwise beautiful face. He reaches out his hand to grasp hers, pulling her closer to him. She concedes, smiling softly as she leans against his chair.

"You good?" he murmurs softly.

Ziva smiles, her gaze falling on Piper. Reaching out to move a few stray strands of her hair, she nods, still smiling affectionately at their daughter.

"Yes. I think I am getting the hang of ... _things_." She turns her gaze back to him, giving him a hesitant smile.

Tony smirks, and tells her seriously.

"You realize I didn't tell you what special breakfast was? And I'm willing to bet munchkin there didn't tell you either."

Ziva searches his face for any trace of humor, and her mouth widens into one of her rare, free smiles when she realizes he is serious.

Tony smiles at her proudly, and squeezes her hand.

Leaning up to capture her lips, he whispers,

"Not bad, ninja."

Piper watches both of them, giggling in appreciation.


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay. School's officially finished for the summer, and I got Impetus published and out of my head so it's no longer bugging me. **

**Let's get this finished up so I can start on another idea I have.**

**- This one will continue into the next chapter. **

**Don't be shy and leave a review!**

_**jae**_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Thirteen<em>  
><strong>

Gibbs arrives unexpectedly that evening just after dinner had been cleared and cleaned up. Tony greets him at the door, and the man appears more or less serene. His agent leads him down the hall toward the sound of voices echoing through the house. Coming to a halt before the dining room, Tony leans against the wall, folding his arms and smiling at the scene before him. Gibbs mirrors his stance, and observes quietly, a smile stretching across his own face. Ziva and Piper are sitting at the table, photo albums and pictures spread out before them, giggling here and there as Piper continues to excitedly thrust pictures into Ziva's hands.

Gibbs is relieved to see that Ziva looks relatively relaxed, the strain that had been present on her face since the accident all but vanished from her features. Her expression morphs into one of surprise as it takes in the newest photograph Piper thrusted into her hands. A troubled look spreads across her face, and she raises her head to no doubt ask Tony about the origin of the photograph. Her question is forgotten, however, once she notices Gibbs standing beside him.

"_Shalom, _Gibbs." she exclaims, surprised. Piper's head pops up from her exploration in one of the many photo albums, and a grin stretches across her face widely. She jumps up in her chair, planting her hands on the table as she leans across excitedly.

"_Gampa! Sh'lom!"_ she makes the mistake of trying to wave, and her arm almost gives out from her weight when Ziva quickly jerks to catch her and push her back into her seat.

"Careful, _tateleh_." she chastises. Piper mumbles a quick apology before she becomes distracted by another pile of photographs. Ziva looks up to share an exasperated smile with Tony, while Piper reaches for another photograph and flourishes it wildly in front of her mother's face.

"_Tistakli!_" she exclaims, reclaiming Ziva's attention.

The two men chuckle quietly, and Gibbs turns his attention to Tony.

"So, things goin' okay?" He asks and Tony's smile curves into a lopsided smirk.

"For the most part. She's definitely doing better than I expected. Little things are coming back to her; mostly habits and random bits and pieces of stuff."

Gibbs smiled and turned his attention back to both mother and daughter.

"That'a girl." he murmured appreciatively.

Tony grinned in agreement before continuing. "We've just been going through some old photo albums to see if they bring back anything for her." he pauses, and his expression grows troubled. "It's been about two weeks now, boss. Feels like things should have come back to her by now."

Gibbs gazed thoughtfully in the girls' direction before he turned his attention back to Tony.

"There's no specific recovery plan for head injuries, DiNozzo. And God knows how many concussions and trauma she's had to her head before she came to work for us. Hell, she's had a few of them since she's been here. Give it time." his tone remained untroubled, and Tony relaxed as he considered that.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just . . . wish things could get back to normal."

Gibbs snorted under his breath.

"Ya, DiNozzo, like you two were ever normal."

Tony shot him an exaggerated wounded look, but his eyes were all amusement.

"Why are you in my house, again?" he threw at him sarcastically.

Gibbs chuckled, and straightened from leaning against the wall.

"Well, figured I'd give ya guys a night off. Watchin' Todd tonight for the other two and he could use some company, and thought you could use it since you'll have to be back at work in a day or two."

Tony's look of surprise quickly vanished as his expression filled with gratitude.

"Wow . . . that's . . . thanks, Boss." He finished, lamely.

Pushing himself off the wall, he strolled into the room and announced excitedly, "_Mio Principesa,_ looks like you're helping Grandpa with his boat tonight."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, and filed into the room after his Senior Field Agent.

**oOo**

About an hour later, Tony shuts the door behind his boss and daughter, dead bolting and turning the lock until it's secure. He ambles back down the darkening hall, not bothering to flip the light switches on his way, and makes his way toward the dining room Ziva has yet to vacate.

He finds her at the table still, attempting to file all the photographs her and Piper had gotten out away, the mess almost cleared. He shuffles over, pulling out a chair across from her and takes a seat with a sigh. Her mouth pulls up in a smirk but she doesn't bother to meet his stare she can feel trained on her. He brings one arm up to rest his chin, and watches her thoughtfully as she carefully and meticulously handles each photograph. Tony only breaks the silence after a minute or so of watching her.

"Find anything interesting?" he asks curiously.

Her lips quirk up at the double meaning, and she knows he wishes she'd be able to suddenly remember everything by simply going through old photographs. She slips the last of the photographs into one of the several albums, closing it lightly and pushing it off to the side. She looks up at him then, and he sees that something she found clearly sparked her curiosity. Her face is thoughtful, and her mouth is set in the way it adopts when she's thinking deeply

She drums her fingers lightly on the table's surface, gazing thoughtfully at the wall behind him, before she turns her attention to the cluster of albums and photographs and pulls a small photo box toward her. She opens it, delicately thumbing the first photograph on top, and slides it across the table to him. He picks it up, examining it curiously. The picture is one he's familiar with. It holds no people, but the front of a tall and elegant stone structure, french writing just barely discernible on a plaque near the archway. She finally speaks while he looks at it.

"This picture, I think I may have. . . had a dream about this." she tells him, sounding unsure.

He coughs, and the heat he feels crawl up his neck has little to do with the room temperature.

She raises her eyebrows at his reaction, watching a faint tinge color his face. Clearing his throat, he puts the photo down on the table, tapping it lightly with his finger.

"Do you remember where this was?" he asks her.

She shifts in her chair uncomfortably.

"It is very. . . _foggy_?" she tries, and when he nods, she continues, "But it is significant though, is it not? It has been annoying me the entire afternoon."

He stares down at the picture again, a small, intimate smile on his face.

"Well, _sweetcheeks_, this picture was taken while we were in Paris. Actually, this is the hotel we stayed the night in."

He looks up, eying her reaction. She looks troubled, and her eyes are clouded. Her gaze eventually focus on him, and she takes the picture back, looking at it more closely.

"Paris. . . ?" She questions.

"We had an assignment," he supplied, "Only required us to be there a night. A little while after Somalia." he finishes cautiously. Her face is myriad of thoughts as she struggled to place whatever she was remembering.

Pushing his chair back suddenly, she snaps her head up to look at him. Tony gets up, groaning quietly at his protesting joints. He pushed his chair under the table and jerked his head to the hallway.

"C'mon." he told her.

Puzzled, she gets up as well, abandoning the picture on the table. She rushes after Tony quickly, who had already made it halfway down the hall.

**oOo**

They end up in their bedroom, Tony flipping on the light while she falls on top of their bed gracefully, stretching out on her side and resting her head in her hand. Tony shuffles over to the closet, disappearing for a few moments. He returns from it's depths, crossing over to the bed and flopping down next to her

She eyes the paper pocket in his hands curiously. Opening it, he pulls out a substantial stack of 4x6 pictures, handing them over to her.

"Not sure how much they'll help ya, evidently I'm not much of a photographer." he grins at her, nudging her shoulder with his.

Her smile is intimate when she flips to the first picture in the stack, for which he responds.

"This one was my favorite picture, and the only one with someone in it."

She turned her face to look at his, only a foot away from her on the bed, watching her with an expression that made her throat become suddenly tight. Her cheeks warmed, and she hastily tried to focus.

"Are you going to tell me why these pictures, this trip, were so important?" She chides him, playfully. He laughs, averting his eyes and rubbing his neck nervously. She decides not to push, and turns her attention back to the pictures.

They spend the rest of the night laughing and talking, pouring over the pictures with Tony commentating. He supplied the simplified story of their trip, and a few of her questions about that year; filling her head with some of the many stories about their partnership she couldn't quite yet remember.

Parisian tales and other adventures dance through her thoughts when she finally drifts off, resting comfortably in her partner's arms.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey look, me being productive and updating!**

**Hope everyone's summer has been going well so far :)**

**Leave me a review and tell me what you think, I love hearing from you!**

**_jae_**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Fourteen<strong>_**  
><strong>

Ziva's eyes snap open as she is pulled from sleep abruptly the following morning. She blinks owlishly against the morning sunlight that now permeates their bedroom, wondering drowsily what disrupted her deep sleep. Her thoughts are answered mere seconds later, however, as she hears several thumps coming from behind the closed door of the bathroom. The sound of water running and Tony's muffled noise of exasperation leads her to conclude he was being exceptionally clumsy this morning.

She rolls over, groaning in frustration, and her eyes fall on the scattered pictures sitting on the nightstand. A slow smile spreads on her face as her thoughts drift back to last night, and her mind strays from their evening to after, once she had succumbed to sleep and entered dreamland.

Her dreams come back to her then, and sudden realization washes over her, fast and furious. She sits up quickly, instantly alert. Heat starts to spread through her body, and her heart's tempo increases with adrenaline as she quickly scrambles off the bed and toward the bathroom.

**oOo**

Tony's deep falsetto as he enters the chorus of another song she can't place cuts off in surprise as she unceremoniously throws the bathroom door open, rushing inside. He makes a strangled noise of surprise as Ziva takes several steps toward the shower.

"I'll never understand what it is with your insistance to ambush me in bathrooms." he says to her in lieu of greeting.

Her eyebrows knit together in momentary confusion.

"Bathrooms are ideal for an ambush," she answers him, puzzled. "You have very little opportunity of escape."

Tony's eyes roll heavenward in exasperation.

"Forget I said anything."

"Then why say anything at all?"

He takes a deep breath to calm himself.

"Nevermind." he let's it go. "Sorry if I woke you up, I knocked over the shampoo and it knocked everything else over."

He isn't even finished his explanation before she makes her way to the shower door, bringing her hand up to rest on the glass. She sees him shift uncomfortably, moving to angle his body away from her. Unperturbed, her words come out rushed as she speaks to him.

"No, I mean, yes, you did wake me up," Ziva begins, floundering, "but no, Tony, I remember. I think I remember Paris." she rushes out excitedly, though a hint of insecurity colors her voice.

Tony stops suddenly in his efforts to hide his naked body from her sight through the steamed glass and went still. She's tapping her fingers nervously on the glass, and he grabs his towel thrown over the shower, wrapping it around his waist quickly and hastily slides the shower door open, water still running.

Dripping, he brushes a hand through his hair, spraying drops of water out. She crosses her arms, a blush spreading slowly through her face as she looks up at him nervously.

Searching her eyes, he regards carefully, eyes bright with excitement.

"What do you remember?"

A small smile settles on her face then, and she reaches out a hesitant hand to brush through his still dripping hair. She watches as his eyes darken while he fights the urge to move closer to her, and she sees the confliction and desire war on his face as he fights the urge to draw her closer. Swallowing over the lump in her throat, she draws her hand through his hair to the back of his neck, shifting closer as she gently fingers the the baby hairs at his hairline experimentally.

"It was the first time you told me you loved me." Ziva says softly, averting his eyes shyly. "I remember our dinner together. I remember walking through the streets that night. I remember we forgave each other for. . . _things_." she takes a deep breath, " I remember how I felt when you told me."

He smiles, eyes closed as he enjoys the feeling of her hand at his neck. She moves even closer, and his eyes open while his arm unconsciously moves to rest his hand at her hip. She feels Tony's grip tighten as he swallows hard, gazing down at her roughly.

Ziva meets his gaze, and her hand comes around to cup his cheek and jaw. Tony watches her eyes gradually fill with tears he know she won't let fall.

"I remembered that I loved you very, very much, even then." she tells him thickly, her warm breath fanning across his neck and he closes his eyes tightly to fight for more control.

Ziva watches him struggle. She knows very well how confusing this whole mess has been for him, and how he's been so very careful about not crossing the line with her while she can't recall her memories. But what he doesn't realize is just how much her body is attuned and connected to him, regardless of her memories being present. There's an ache she can't place but overwhelms her, and Ziva finds herself fighting with her control as severely as he does.

Breathing deeply, Tony trusts himself enough to speak.

"I loved you then, and I love you more even today. You never have to question that." He tells her, his voice more serious than she's heard until now.

She moves forward then, and Tony backs up in response, his back hitting the shower door. Ziva's hands have drifted to where his towel begins, and he brings his hands down to cover hers.

"Ziva," he presses out slowly, and she watches his jaw flex tightly. "This isn't a good idea."

She frees her hands from his grasp before he realizes it, shedding the the NCIS sweatshirt she wore to bed that dwarfs her small frame, until she's left standing before him in one of his t-shirts.

"You don't need more confusion, I don't want to mess with your head even more." he continues hastily.

She finishes liberating her curls from her pony-tail then, shaking her hair out with nimble fingers. One hand reaches for the sliding door beside him, while the other intertwines with his fingers tightly.

Sliding open the door, she leans in toward his face.

"Tell me, do you always talk this much whenever I try to seduce you?"

Momentarily distracted, Tony shoots her an indignant look.

"How presumptuous of you, for the reco-"

"Is this why it took us so long to be together?" She interrupts him, yanking his arm to pull him with her, walking backwards under the hot spray. His towel falls on the floor as his hands shoot out to rest again the tiles, and Ziva moves in then, sliding the door shut behind him. Seconds later, her now soaking shirt joins his towel, flying over the shower, landing with a wet slap against the floor.

**oOo**

"You all right?" he murmurs into her neck some time later, pressed up behind her on their bed.

She untangles herself from him, rolling away and turning around again to face him. She regards him with a smile, and he reaches out a hand to brush her hair back.

"I'm fine, Tony. Please relax." she tells him with a laugh, and he grins, propping his head on his arm.

"Okay. You're fine. I'll stop asking." he replies, grinning wider, his free hand leaving her hair and falling to intertwine their hands. She looks down at their hands, smiling softly before gazing back at him. They stare at each other for a few moments contently, not bothering to fill the silence. Tonys hand grazes her fingers gently.

"Why did we wait, after that night?" She asks him, curiosity burning in her voice.

He looks up again to see her regarding him intently.

"We weren't there yet, Ziva." he begins slowly. "You weren't ready. Hell, you had just spent the entire summer in that . . . _hellhole." _he spits out the last word, fumbling a little. "We just needed a little more time. To get things right."

Ziva nods thoughtfully, gazing at him and he watches as emotions start to play across her face. She shifts closer then, flipping him onto his back and throwing her leg over him.

He chuckles as he looks up at her, his hands grazing her thighs as she leans down toward his face.

"Well," she begins softly, "I'm glad we got things right."

Tony murmurs in appreciation, and begins to pepper light kisses across her neck and collar bone.

"You have no idea, _sweetcheeks," _he mumbles against her skin in between kisses. "Now _shhh. _I'm trying to seduce you before our daughter is returned to us."

She laughs then, and she feels him grin against her neck in response.


	15. Chapter 15

**Two updates in one day after months of nothing? I don't have much of an explanation. I promise I haven't forgotten or abandoned this, I was just caught up at the beach all summer. **

**Enjoy and let me know if anybody out there is still following this ;)**

**_jae_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Fifteen<em>**

Reality resumes at the crack of dawn the next morning, arriving in the form of two very rushed federal government employees and one very cranky toddler.

Abby and McGee had come to call at around zero six hundred, dressed haphazardly and carrying a half asleep Todd, desperate for the dynamic duo to watch the McGodson while they rushed to the Navy Yard and of course, to Gibbs' aide. With two members of Team Gibbs down, demands like this from their fearless leader were only to be expected.

Ziva had been roused from slumber first, and had made it to the door long before Tony would even wake. McGee had thrusted the squirming toddler into her arms with their hasty explanation and a quick promise to try to collect him soon. Ziva didn't have much time to panic about this sudden reunion, for Piper came ambling down the hallway drowsily, and claimed Todd's attention once they saw each other. Fast forward to one hour later, and that was how Ziva found herself making the two pancakes and reacquainting herself with her nephew.

**oOo**

Laughter and the sounds of breakfast are what eventually wake Tony, and he stumbles down the hall to the kitchen, this time of morning still too early for the very Special Agent even after years of working for Gibbs. His typical morning grumpiness evaporates, however, once he reaches the kitchen and sees what all the commotion is.

Piper and Todd are chatting animatedly at the kitchen island, seated side by side, sleeves rolled up. Ziva's back is to them as she hovers over something cooking on the stove top. He's not standing there long before the back of Ziva's neck tingles in that oh so specific way it does when Tony's gaze is on her, and she looks over her shoulder, throwing him a small smile at his disheveled appearance.

"_Boker Tov," _she says warmly, just as Piper exclaims, "_Daddy!" _and Todd says "_Uncle Tony!"_

Tony smiles and enters the kitchen, stopping at the kitchen island and resting his elbows on the counter. Ziva turns off the stove, picking up a plate of pancakes and coming over to set them on the counter beside him.

Bumping his shoulder with hers, she quips, "We have a visitor this morning. So it called for pancakes, I thought."

Tony grins and sets about helping her serve up breakfast to the kids.

"Great Idea. And for what do we owe the pleasure of our favorite nephew's company?" He asks, pushing a plate of cut up pancakes each under Todd and Piper as Ziva swiftly braided back Piper's hair.

Todd muffles out something over a mouth full of pancake, and Piper giggles.

"Uncle Tim an' Aunt Abby had ta work on somethin' 'mportant," Piper tells him emphatically.

Ziva finishes tying her hair back and smooths her hand over her head before walking around the counter to claim her cup of tea.

Taking a sip, she regards them, eyes teasing.

"That is because they do very important work, yes?"

Todd and Piper nod vigorously with stuffed mouths and Tony and Ziva share a smirk. Swallowing, Piper looked at Tony curiously.

"Daddy, how come you and momma don't work no more wif Uncle Tim an' Aunt Abby?

Ziva's face went blank as she looked at Tony surprised. Swallowing roughly over the guilt, Tony paused before answering.

"We've just been taking a vacation, 'cause we love spending time with you." he chuckled nervously. Ziva remained silent, eyes downcast as she examined the counter, and Tony reached for her hand and to squeeze it quickly.

"Oh," Piper said simply, and smiled as she continued demolishing the rest of her pancakes.

Tony cleared his throat uncomfortably, exchanging a guilty look with Ziva, who's expression was dangerously blank as she broke eye contact, turning her back to him and clearing the dishes to the sink in silence.

Once the kitchen had been cleaned up, and twenty minutes had been devoted to removing all sticky remnants of breakfast from little hands and faces, Tony's attempts at eliciting a smile or full sentence from Ziva had failed repeatedly before he finally backed off in favor of a shower, knowing it was best to let her come to him.

**oOo**

He has just succeeded in pulling his shirt over his head when he hears the bedroom door open and shut softly. Glancing up, he sees Ziva leaning against the door, arms behind the back and her face neutral.

"The kids are watching the ah, movie you mentioned they loved, with the little fish that is lost. Memo, or Fabio."

"_Nemo_," he corrects automatically. "That will keep them entertained for a while."

Ziva smiles thinly. "That was the plan," She takes a deep breath.

"We need to talk."

Tony smiles tightly, scratching his head nervously before gesturing to the bed.

"Take a seat, Ninja."

She smiles a little at that, pushing herself off the door and coming to rest on the edge of their bed. Tony sits down beside her and regards her warily.

"What's on your mind?"

Clasping and re-clasping her hands, Ziva looked down as she began,

"I think . . . that it is time for you to go back to work. To the team," she releases a breath, then looks up to meet his eyes, "I think we need to start trying to regain a bit more normalcy. We both have to accept the fact that this may be all that I remember; all that comes back. It is not fair to the team, nor Gibbs, or Piper, or _us." _she breaks off then, trying to smile but only succeeding in a grimace.

Tony swallowed over the lump in his throat, taking one of her hands in his.

"Ziva, you're going to get it all back, you've already remembered so much-"

"Tony," she interrupts, chuckling without humor, "It's been quite some time. I think it would be best if we just try to adapt in case things are . . . permanent. Okay?"

Tony can only nod wordlessly, squeezing her hand tighter. Ziva jerks her head in a sharp nod, and her eyes, finally betraying her, spill with a few tears and she wipes them away, quickly.

He wastes no time pulling her to him then. Ziva goes willingly, and they spend a few silent moments reveling in the comfort of one another's presence.

**oOo**

Of course it's her who breaks the silence, some time later as they lay with each other at the end of the bed.

"Tomorrow. I want you to go in tomorrow."

He sighs, turning his face into her hair and inhaling the scent of her shampoo.

"You gonna be okay with munchkin?" he asks, resigned, voice muffled by her curls. He knows she's made up her mind.

The hand she's trailing lazily up and down his arm pauses, and she's silent for a few moments before she murmurs,

"I think we are going to be just fine."

He kisses her head softly, and hears what she doesn't say; that she isn't just talking about her and their daughter.


	16. Chapter 16

**A couple more chapters left, this one sets up a plot or two coming up. Enjoy and tell me what you think :o)**

_**jae**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sixteen<strong>_

Ziva is up long before Tony's alarm goes off, only experiencing a few hours of restless sleep through out the night. Although she's been experiencing anxiety since her decision the previous day, she feels nothing but calm as she lays there in a cocoon of pillows, down comforter, and her slumbering little girl snuggled in between her and Tony. She had made an appearance late in the night and had wormed herself into bed once again without either of them waking. Ziva had woken to the little girl curled into her body, Piper's head resting in the crook of her neck and her tiny thumb still in her mouth.

Piper only stirs briefly as the radio alarm fills the room for a handful of seconds until Tony's hand silences it indefinitely. Groaning, he kicks off the blankets and warmth that entices him, raising himself to a sitting position. Ziva looks over and smiles softly while he rubs his face blearily. Her soft chuckle catches his attention and he looks over, smiling wide at the sight.

"Morning," she whispers softly.

"Morning," he returns, "I see we have a visitor this morning," he reaches down and gently tugs her thumb out her mouth. Ziva laughs as her thumb immediately goes back to her mouth, never waking.

"Yes, she was here when I woke up."

"Hmm..." he murmurs, "She usually only does that if she's sick or has a bad dream. Or if one of us works late."

"Maybe she just knew you were going back to work," Ziva says, smiling playfully.

Tony grins, then leans over to kiss them both on the forehead.

"Speaking of which, I'm going to be late," he says while getting up. He rummages around the room, gathering clothes, and Ziva observes him silently. Heading towards their bathroom door, he pauses, turning around and coming to Ziva's side of the bed. She looks at him questioningly, and he takes her hand to rub softly.

"You sure you're gonna be okay today?"

Ziva's eyes roam around the room as she searches for an answer.

"Yes," she begins hesitantly, "I am sure we will be fine. I think I am just ... nervous," she finishes quietly.

Tony gives her hand a squeeze and captures her lips with a kiss.

"You call me if you need anything. I'll be here within ten minutes."

Ziva smiled up at him, hand snaking up his neck to his cheek.

"_Todah_," she murmurs, before pulling him down to kiss him once more.

**oOo**

Piper still hadn't woken over an hour after Tony had walked out the door, and Ziva hadn't known her to sleep this late uninterrupted. Finishing her tea and placing her mug in the sink, Ziva ventured down toward her bedroom to investigate.

Opening the door wider, she walked quietly over to the bed, where Piper was tangled in the sheets and her hair was fanned out across the pillow. Ziva sat down on the bed, and Piper's eyes fluttered open.

"_Boker Tov, tatehleh_," Ziva murmured sweetly as she brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. Piper mumbled something over the still present thumb in her mouth and rubbed her face deeper into her pillow, trying to escape the the light.

Ziva chuckled and began untwisting her legs from the sheets as her feet struggled to kick them away.

"You are very sleepy this morning, and a little cranky, yes?"

The little girl only kicked her feet more and mumbled something about _daddy_ into the pillow.

"Where's your father? He went back to work today, _tatehleh_." She soothed, brushing her hand along the little girl's back in a comforting gesture. It seemed to calm her down. Still hiding her face, she reached her free hand across until it found Ziva's other hand and held it.

A lump formed in her throat, and she cleared her voice.

"Would it make you happy to go visit him for lunch time?"

Piper's fist tightened around her finger, and her little head bobbed up and down as she mumbled again.

Ziva laughed out loud.

"Okay, then, let us get ready."

**oOo**

"So are you guys still going to go?"

McGee's voice is the first thing she hears as the elevator dings and opens to the floor of the squad room. She shifts Piper on her hip and steps off, following the sound of the voice and to the cluster of desks that stirs something in her head. She approaches the bullpen as Tony is responding. McGee looks at her in surprise and Ziva smiles at him in greeting. With his back to her, leaning against the filing cabinet, Tony continues talking.

"I don't know, McRSVP, I haven't really brought it up with Ziva yet-" Tony trails off as he registers the look of surprise on McGee's face. He turns around just as Ziva offers a warm, "_Shalom_."

"Ziva," he says, surprised, walking over to her.

"We decided to come visit for lunch." Ziva stoked her daughter's head as Piper snuggled her face into the crook of her neck more. "_Tatehleh_, want to say hello to your father and Uncle Tim?" She murmured into her hair before untangling her body from hers and setting her down on the ground. Piper rubbed her eyes softly before going over to her uncle's desk. Tony looked at her Ziva questioningly.

Your daughter has been a little _flustered _this morning," she elaborated, answering the unspoken question.

"_Fussy,_" he corrected automatically, reaching out to take the bag that occupied Ziva's shoulder. She scrunched her face at him, but he knew she was committing that one to memory. Setting the bag on his desk, he looked up at her.

"Thanks, _sweetcheeks_."

"It was no problem," she waved him off. "So what were you and McGee talking about?" She looked over to the agent in question. Her investigator face fell as a smile formed at the sight of Piper snuggled in her favorite uncle's lap. McGee returned the smile and shrugged.

Looking back at Tony, he nodded and started talking.

"An..._agent_... our team has, well, _collaborated_ with before is having an engagement party we were all invited to," he explained carefully. Ziva nodded in an understanding, and he continued, " It's the day after tomorrow. McCurious was just wondering if we were still going, but we don-"

"Then we will be going," Ziva told him seriously.

Tony eyed her suspiciously. Ziva sighed and started again.

"Tony, I am nervous but we talked about this. We need to start adjusting."

Seeing nothing but finality on her face, he nodded, giving in.

"Fine, you're right. I'm just worried about some of the people we might run into..."

Ziva looked at him, confused, "What do you-"

"Hey guys," McGee interrupted, and the two partners swung their heads to look at him. "I think I know what the problem is," he continued, nodding down at the little girl sleeping in his lap. "She feels warm. I think she's sick."

Tony groaned as Ziva rushed over to McGee's desk. He handed her over carefully, putting his hand across her forehead.

Ziva adjusted her more on her hip and looked at Tony, guilty. He could see the hysteria forming on her face, and he walked over to calm her down.

"Ziva," he soothed, "We'll make an appointment tomorrow and I'll go with you guys. She'll be fine." he rubbed her arm and Ziva relaxed and nodded at his touch as McGee laughed at what he said.

"Tony, have you ever been with them to her doctor?"

Ziva looked at him oddly and Tony rolled his eyes.

"You always insist on taking her and not having the two of us miss work." He explained.

"That sounds reasonable," she nodded. Tony mumbled and leaned down to kiss Piper's head. Straightening up, he turned to Ziva.

"I'm gonna go see if Ducky's got something for her down in autopsy."

"I'll go with you," Ziva replied, and he nodded.

"Here, I'll take her while you guys go down," McGee offered, knowing they didn't like having her down in autopsy. He smiled as he took Piper into his arms, and walked back toward his desk. The duo shared a smile, then turned to walk back to the elevator. Reaching out to press the button, Tony turned to her.

"Hey - how did you get here without directions?"

Ziva blinked and stared blankly at him.

"I do not... I just started driving. I did not even think about it."

Tony grinned widely at her and Ziva looked at him in mild disbelief.

The doors dinged and Tony grabbed her free hand, pulling her with him into the elevator.

"Looks like you've still got a few surprises left, _sweetcheeks_." he mumbled against her cheek before he pressed his lips against her.


	17. Chapter 17

**_So, a note about this chapter: I had a request from someone a while ago to bring back old faces to see how the characters would react. I had only an idea of who I'd want to throw in their way and this is just how it ended up working out. I tweaked the circumstances a little bit and I tried not to make it too cliche. It'll flow into the next chapter._**

**_P.S. how bout that promo?_**

**_jae_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Seventeen<em>**

Ziva listens to Tony drum the steering wheel in repetition as she stares at the streets of D.C blur by out the passenger side window Tony grants her need for quiet as she gazes outside the glass pensively. Instead, he passes the time making faces with Piper in the rearview mirror, smiling with pride each time the little girl bubbles with gales of laughter. Ziva hides the affectionate smile that creeps onto her face at each outburst, relieved that at least she was happy despite not feeling well. And though the last several days have been good days, sometimes the frustration creeps back even when she tries to keep it at bay. She knows, and Tony knows, that if things were normal, Ziva would have known in an instant their daughter was sick - probably before Piper even knew. She wonders what will happen if it's something bigger she misses next time, and her anxiety and guilt have become almost suffocating, even tangible to Tony.

Tony continues to play along with Piper until her attention wains, then shifts his attention back to Ziva. Having already exhausted himself with reassuring words and failing, he decided to distract her with another topic.

"So, you sure you're fine with this engagement party tomorrow night?"

Ziva blinks, tearing her gaze from the window to look at Tony.

"It is what we would be doing under normal circumstances, yes?" she pauses, "I want to go. It will be nice to have some semblance of normalcy." She continues to meet his eyes as he stares her down, analyzing her expression.

"All right," he finally concedes, "Y'know, it might be good for you. Maybe seeing old faces will help."

She gives him a small smile, patting his leg before angling her body to better face him.

"Perhaps," she agrees, but he hears the doubt weigh in her voice. "You still have yet to tell me whose engagement party we are attending."

"Party?" Piper's stuffy voice pipes up from the back.

Tony ignores Ziva's gaze, suddenly very focused on the road.

"You still have yet to tell me which dress you'll be squeezing yourse-"

"_Tony_," Ziva admonishes, just as Piper exclaims "_dress?!_"

Arriving at a series of offices, Tony drives into the parking lot, squinting at the different numbers and letters on the windows. He slows outside of their destination, and pulls the car into a free space.

"When we go to party?" Piper exclaims exasperated from the backseat just as Tony puts the car in park. Ziva laughs, unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out to free Piper from her car seat. Tony chuckles as well, pocketing his sunglasses and getting out of the car.

He meets them at the back of the car, Piper resting on Ziva's hip as she helps wipe at her red nose with a tissue. Shoving Ziva's hands away, she looks at her father.

"_Daddy_," she whines, "_Who's havin' da party?"_

The couple starts walking toward the direction of the doctor's office, and Tony pockets his keys before glancing at Ziva.

"Special Agent E.J Barrett," he reveals finally, "We collaborated with her team a few years back during a difficult. . . _case." _Pausing outside the entrance, he gives her a meaningful glance, not elaborating further in front of Piper, and Ziva raises her eyebrows in acknowledgment.

"Ah, I see."

Tony nods, then continues.

"Listen, just so you know, E.J and I dated briefly then. Technically, you _know_ that, but I don't want you to go not remembering that."

Ziva's eyebrows raise higher in surprise, and Tony shifts uncomfortably as she appraises him.

"What?" he demands.

"Nothing," Ziva answers simply, her tone light. She nods her head toward the door, and he opens it, ushering her to go before him. "This will be interesting, is all," smirking, she walks past him, and Tony follows behind her, feeling relieved that she was more amused than upset. Having entered the waiting area, he turns to grin at her.

"Well I thought you should know. We have a rule about keeping secrets."

She smirks at him again, sitting down in a vacant chair of the waiting area and pulling Piper into lap.

"Oh? And what is it?"

Tony leans down to kiss her cheek lightly.

"We don't." he murmurs against her cheek. Her face softens as she smiles, and they share a loaded glance. Straightening, he looks down at her again.

"I'm gonna go check in and use the bathroom. I'll just meet you in the room if they get you before I'm back."

**oOo**

A nurse had claimed them almost immediately while Tony was still at the receptionists' desk updating their insurance, and Ziva smirked at his exasperation as they were led past the desk and to a room. The nurse completed the necessary check-up quickly, and had parted promising Piper's usual doctor would be in shortly. When Tony finally entered the room, he was relieved to find Piper at ease, sitting on the examination mat and chatting animatedly with Ziva. The little girl smiled wide at him.

"Hi Daddy!" she exclaimed. "Docta Jon be here soon."

Tony smiled back at her, taking a seat next to Ziva. She faced him, brow drawn in confusion.

"Is she usually this cooperative? I thought children were supposed to be difficult about doctors."

Tony shrugged.

"I guess, I've never actually come to an appointment with you since we've started going here. But you've said she's always been great. And she gets along with her doctor."

Ziva opened to her mouth to answer, but then there was a knock on the door before it opened.

A young, pretty brunette woman stepped into the room, eyes reading a clipboard. Ziva observed her, willing herself for any recognition but only getting a hazy familiarity.

"Hello Piper, Ziva. It's been a while."

Ziva responded with a timid hello as she felt Tony go rigid beside her. Frowning, Ziva turned to look at her partner, and she felt her stomach drop. His face was frozen in a mixture of shock and anger. She hadn't witnessed that expression on Tony's face before, and her gut began turning violently. As his knuckles began to whiten around the grip on his chair, he stood up, suddenly.

The woman looked up from her clipboard then, and her previously happy face melted into one of total surprise.

"Tony?" His gaze was hard as he flinched at his name. Ziva watched him, panic bubbling inside her.

"Jeanne," Tony pressed out evenly, and the two stared at each other intently. Piper watched their exchange with innocent interest.

"Daddy, you know Doctor Jon?" The woman's surprise intensified and Tony cleared his throat before quickly looking over at Ziva. Ziva shrank at the look of hurt and anger on his face.

Addressing the room at large, he muttered, "Excuse me for a second," and walked deliberately to the door and exiting.

Ziva's panicked face turned back to look at Jeanne, who was now observing her closely.

"I thought there was something familiar about you. You are his partner, aren't you."

Ziva only nodded, her voice long gone.

"I didn't put her last name together with him. You don't share the same name."

Thoroughly confused and scared, Ziva looked toward the closed door and only nodded, trying to piece together the pieces of her blown mind from how fast the day turned.

"No," she mumbled quietly, "I did not take his name."

The doctor continued to look at her intensely.

"You had to have remembered who I was."

Ziva had no answer for her.

**oOo**

She found him waiting outside against the car, staring hard at the ground, deep in thought. She walked slowly over to him, carrying Piper, now asleep, against her. He held out the keys, silently, and she took them, unlocking the car. Ziva took her time strapping the little girl in delicately, trying not to disturb her.

After she was done, she turned back around to face her partner.

She began weakly, "Tony, I-" he held up a hand, his face controlled but his eyes lit with anger.

"How could you keep that a secret? And why?" his voice was hard and she couldn't swallow over her tightening throat.

She raises her hand to grab his arm, but falters, thinking better of it. She tries to keep her voice controlled as she answers.

"Tony I_ do not know. _ I cannot answer you, I am so sorry." Her voice cracks at the end of her sentence, and she looks away, crossing her arms tightly against her chest.

"I do not even know what is going on." She whispers, pleadingly.

He mimics her stance, staring hard across the parking lot, and she sees there will be no sympathy. Not right now.

"Well I don't either. And I can't ask you because you don't remember." He stares at her harshly. Ziva can only look at him blankly, and she feels her face beginning to crumble.

He finally looks at her, but she sees no olive branch in his eyes. His face is a careful mask, eyes hard as he searches hers for answers she can't give him, and may not be able to give him again.


	18. Chapter 18

**_*Runs and hides* _**

**_Sorry this took so long. I'm betting on everyone still being high off tuesday's episode and hoping that you guys won't be as cranky with me._**

**_jae_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Eighteen <em>**

Upon arriving home, Tony hadn't wasted much time before he had disappeared out the door, muttering something about Gibbs' as an explanation. Ziva, at a loss of what to do, simply rested with Piper in their bedroom for the remainder of the day.

Tony felt his phone vibrate for what was the fourth time that night. Sighing, he checked it, seeing Ziva's name flash on the screen with her newest message.

_Going to bed, be safe._

Glancing at the time, he noted it was well past twenty-two hundred. He clicked the home screen off, pocketing his phone and leaned his head back against the head rest of the driver's seat. He'd gone into work, knowing he'd likely be the only one in the bullpen since they'd taken off for Piper's appointment, and Gibbs and McGee were no doubt out investigating one lead or another. When they had finally arrived back to the bullpen, the tension rolling off of Tony was palpable. Both men were wise enough to not bother the Senior Agent when he was in one of _those_ moods, but both exchanged several glances over the unusually silent and working agent. When it was time to pack up, McGee gave them both a quick nod before shouldering his backpack and hurrying out of the bullpen. Tony stayed determinedly focused on the paperwork in front of him as he felt Gibbs approach his desk. Gibbs murmured a quiet, _basement's open, _before tapping his desk with his knuckles and heading toward the elevator.

Over an hour later, DiNozzo had found himself parked in front of the house, spending the last twenty minutes contemplating going in. When Ziva's latest text had lit the screen though, his gut churned uncomfortably. With a sigh, he unbuckled his seat belt and exited the car, making his way across the yard.

He blundered down the stairs to the basement, finding Gibbs crouched over his workbench taking measurements. Two mason jars were already set out, one filled with two fingers worth of amber liquid. Tony shuffled over, picking up a sanding block, and grabbed the bourbon-filled jar he assumed was meant for him. He knocked it back easily enough, slamming the jar on the table with more force than necessary and sighed, twirling the block in his hands as he brooded silently.

Gibbs had yet to glance at him, but put down his pencil, making a grab for his glass and filling it warily.

"Anytime, DiNozzo."

Tony bit back the retort that rushed to his tongue, and instead brought the re-filled jar to his mouth and knocked back the burning bourbon. He leveled his gaze then to regard his boss, who's all-knowing look made his gut churn again.

"You knew," DiNozzo realized allowed.

Gibbs sighed, grabbing the amber bottle and poured his own healthy slug of bourbon into a jar, talking as he poured.

"In a manner of speaking. Didn't know you'd be going."

DiNozzo's eyes flashed.

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't give you a memo."

Gibbs took the bite unfazed.

"She's called four times to check on you. Don't you think she's got enough to worry about?"

Guilt flared as heat flushed across his face. He looked contrite for several moments before answering, and Tony's voice rose a few octaves higher with his growing frustration.

"Why is there always another secret with her? Why didn't she tell me; Why didn't _you_ tell me?" He had paced around the basement angrily in his tirade, and Gibbs finally set down his pencil and walked over to place a light hand on his shoulder. Tony flinched instinctively, but relaxed under the touch, his anger dissipating slowly.

"She did it for you, DiNozzo," the older man sighed, turning him around to meet his gaze. "She's been keeping an eye on her for years, making sure nothing happens to her." Gibbs grumbled and lowered his tone, "You don't think she realizes how much it hurt you? You hurt, she hurts. That's what makes you both great partners."

Tony's face remained impassive, but Gibbs could see the fight leaving his face; sadness replacing the anger. Silenced settled between them, and Gibbs pushed him toward the wood waiting to be sanded.

"Work it off. Leave your anger here. Then go home."

DiNozzo twirled the block in his hands pensively once more, then nodded as he set to work.

He let's himself into their darkened apartment as quietly as possible, closing the door and turning the dead bolt until he hears a soft "click". Toeing off his shoes, he sits them by the door and navigates down the hall and toward Piper's bedroom. He peaks in, and smiles softly for what feels like the first time that day at her bundled under the covers, sucking her thumb and breathing deeply. He leaves the door cracked, then heads toward _their_ bedroom.

She's laying in bed, but he can just make out her face, watching him with alert eyes. He unbuttons his shirt, and she remains silent as he sheds it and his belt, crawling into bed with his work pants still on. She remains still, facing the door, and he sighs as he recognizes the signs of her feeling insecure and on the verge of shutting down. He winds his arm around her waist and pulls her to him, and he feels her finally exhale in relief. He buries his face in her curls, breathing in the scent that is so uniquely Ziva and one that's he come to memorize.

He feels her breathing hitch when he grazes his hand along her side.

"I am sorry," she mumbles quietly.

His heart drops and his exhaustion deepens, but he sits up, his hand pressing into her side.

"Ziva, _I'm _sorry. I messed up today." His eyes are well adjusted to the dark room now, and he doesn't miss the tremble of her chin or the slow tears leaking from her eyes. Gently, he scoops her up with his arm, pulling her to him.

"Ziva, honey, please don't cry. I was way out of line earlier." She's nuzzled under his neck as his arms tighten around her, smoothing up and down her back desperately, trying to comfort her racking sobs. In this state he knows she must have held it in all afternoon for Piper's sake, and his heart drops even more with guilt and his neck grows hot in shame.

"I can only imagine how overwhelmed you are right now." he paused, "But when things like today happen - whenever I feel like I finally understand you, I stumble over something else I didn't know about you. And it just makes me realize there are so many more things I'll probably never know." He swallows hard. "I know there are things you want to forget, and I understand..." Tony trails off, not sure of how to express what he feels; the doubt that's always plagued him under the surface when it's come to his relationship with her. But he remains silent, because he doesn't want to voice his fears either, when he's been trying to calm her of the same fear.

_What if she doesn't remember everything? _

_What if this is it?_

The fear gnaws at his stomach as he thinks of everything else he may never know about her; everything she won't remember about him; About _them_, about _Piper_.

She's calmed against him now, and he worries if she can hear the increase in his heart rate, the panic that's been threatening to consume his since this whole mess began.

Ziva lifts her head then, focusing her puffy but dry eyes on his. She brings her hand up his arm to rest on his neck, and he leans into the touch.

"I am not sure what more I will remember. Or what will happen from here." She looks at him sternly, her most serious Mossad face in place, "But I cannot deny what I feel when I am with you, or when I see you, or when you touch me." She smiles softly in the way that makes his heart skip a beat, and continues quietly, "What I feel when I am with you is so strong and real, and has been the easiest thing to accept since all of this has happened. It is as easy as breathing."

He smiles at that, and brushes an errant curl behind her ear.

"I'm going to kiss you now," he informs her, smiling. She's laughing when he presses a kiss to her mouth, and quickly she sobers, deepening the kiss. He pulls back without her permission, and her pout makes him laugh aloud.

"I am so sorry, Ziva." He tells her seriously. "Were you and Piper okay today?"

She nods, then pulls him down to lay on the bed again, and he curls himself behind her.

"Yes. She was asking for you, but understood when I said you were to be at the office today. Everything was fine."

He breathes a sigh of relief, and presses a kiss to her curls.

"Everything will be fine."


	19. Chapter 19

**_Three cheers for the end of the semester, Winter break, and the Holidays!_**

**_Hope you all relax and get to enjoy them!_**

**_-jae _**

**_AN: A HUGE Thank You to all that constantly review and enjoy this story. Please know I notice those who do so every time I update, and recognize all that leave me comments - even if I'm bad at getting back to you. A million thanks!_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Ninteen<em>**

The bride's not what she pictured, exactly, but she's unable to recall anything in her memory regarding one Special Agent E.J Barrett.

She seems friendly enough, however, for she greets the team like old friends. Tony had told her earlier that day it'd been several years, in fact, since they'd seen Agent Barrett, and had divulged delicately that Ziva and herself had never been each other's greatest fans. They line up before her and the groom amongst other well wishers and guests, and when they finally step forward to greet the bride, E.J's eyes light up with surprise at the family, and then amusement, and Ziva watches her partner shoot her a self aware smirk as he clears his throat, unwrapping his one arm from around Ziva's waist to hug the bride properly. Ziva adjusts Piper on her hip, untangling her dress to keep it from wrinkling, and allows Tony to do the talking.

"Congratulations, Erica Jane," Tony tells her as they break apart. E.J's smile is wide as she looks between the two partners again.

"Thank you for coming," she says sincerely, eyes still twinkling with amusement and a little bewildered as they dart between the pair. She turns her attention to the little girl in Ziva's arms, proffering her hand. "And who is this?"

Piper perked up from where she rested her head against Ziva's shoulder, giving her a toothy grin and accepting E.J's hand politely.

" 'M Piper," she chirps, "I like your princess dwress."

The three adults laugh, and Ziva presses a kiss to the side of the girl's head appreciatively.

"Thank you, I like your dress very much too." E.J tells her smiling, before letting go of her little hand and turning to look at Tony.

"That smile? All yours, Tony. You have your work cut out for you when she's older."

Ziva breaks her silence, laughing aloud at her partner's indignant expression. Tony pinches Piper's cheek affectionately as she giggles, swatting his hand away.

"The Ziva half of her is going to get her in ten times more trouble than my half will," he jokes, looking smugly at Ziva, and E.J simply smirks in amusement.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," she half-laughs, before sobering. "It's good to see you two worked things ... _out_." she winks at them, and tugs at the hem of Piper's dress. "Make sure you get this one a piece of cake before it's gone. Your table is on your invitation; I put your whole team together, of course."

Ziva smiled gratefully and Tony inclined his head to kiss her cheek again.

"Thanks, E.J," Tony murmurs just as Piper exclaims, "Cake?!"

They laugh as Ziva shushes the little girl quietly. Looking up, Ziva leans in awkwardly to shake E.J's hand.

"Thank you, and congratulations." the two share a kind smile, and as they begin to turn away, E.J's face lights up with realization.

"Oh, and just to let you know, Agent Cruz isn't here. Actually, he's been-"

Tony cuts her off quickly with a hand on her arm.

"We know, thanks E.J," he gives her a polite smile, and takes Ziva's hand, steering them away from the bride.

Tony pays exaggerated concentration to their invitation he's procured from his pocket, and Ziva casts him a sideways glance.

"Tony," Ziva says softly.

Tony fumbles with the invitation, muttering to himself.

"Table seven," he mumbles. "Isn't it bad luck to eat at odd numbered tables? Something's hinky about an odd number."

"_Tony," _Ziva says pointedly.

Sighing, her partner returns the invitation back to his pocket, before casting his attention to her.

"Is there anything I need to know?" She asks him softly.

He holds her gaze for a moment, then shakes his head as he inclines to kiss her briefly.

"Nothing that can't wait," he says against her mouth.

She hesitates, but sees nothing in his face that makes her suspicious.

"Okay," she concedes, and it's forgotten as Piper cries out in delight in sight of the towering cake.

**oOo**

She watches her daughter twirl, once again, in Gibbs' arms as the song's tempo rises dramatically.

And because she's irrevocably attuned to _her_ voice, _her_ sound, and all that encompasses _her - _despite this accident, despite all the loss - she can hear Piper's peel of laughter carry across the expanse of the dance floor, through the crowd of noisy and merry guests, to where she sits alone at their temporarily abandoned and unsuspicious table seven.

Gibbs' smile lights up the room as they turn gracefully, and Ziva's smile mirrors his own; struck by how effortlessly her flesh and blood can light up this man's - her boss, her apparent adopted father figure's - face, so easily. She's comfortable with Gibbs, familiar even, and can recall glimpses and flashes of memories of him; but with or without her memory, she doesn't think she'll ever get used to feeling the love reserved exclusively for a daughter.

Ziva assumed the hardest part about the night would be being surrounded by a room full strangers and mutual co-workers and ex-girlfriends she had little to no memory of. Not to mention, the anxiety that comes with being in a social setting. As it turned out, though, the wedding reception brought forth different demons fighting their way through the fog in her head.

Her mind wanders as her thoughts stray to Eli David.

Would her own father look at her daughter in such a way?

Would he look at _herself_ that way?

Ziva swallows down a lump in her throat when she realizes she's not entirely sure what _is _of her father at the present.

"Your beverage, m'lady."

Tony's smooth voice from behind startles her out of her reverie, and she blinks in surprise at the sight of her suited up partner, offering her a glass of white wine with an embellished curtsy. Ziva plasters her automatic smile on her face, graciously accepting the glass with a soft _Toda._

She takes a deep sip and his head cocks to the side, studying her, before pulling out the seat beside her and settling into it.

"_Prego_," he chimes after a beat, falling silent and allowing her space, and he watches as she sets her glass down and her gaze falls to the table top. Her dangling earrings catch the light and sparkle, and he can't help himself then. Tony extends his hand to brush the tamed curls that fall around her face, and Ziva leans into the touch, her lips stretching into a smile as she looks up at him, then back across the dance floor.

"I know you said not to ask," he begins hesitantly, "but are you doing okay?"

Ziva's gaze doesn't falter, but rather gives him a quirked smile, flashing the dimples that make his chest tighten.

"Yes," she says, turning slightly to kiss the hand that still rests against her cheek. Her eyes light up as she continues to gaze across the room. "Our daughter appears to be quite a party animal." She raises her eyebrows and Tony grins before following her gaze. Piper's on Gibbs' shoes now, arms moving wildly with their bosses' as the music hits the final crescendo before it finishes. There is clapping, and Tony's hand leaves her face as he claps along, merry and drunk off the wedding atmosphere. Ziva claps politely along with him, and he flashes her another grin as the DJ calls forth all fathers and daughters now. Ziva's wills her polite smile to remain still as she watches Tony's grin widen, his gaze finding his daughter. They watch together as Piper drags GIbbs across the room in their direction, soft curls bouncing and Gibbs smiling patiently.

Piper collides with Ziva, the closest to her, and her hand leaves Gibbs as she engulfs her mother's dressed-clad body in a hug.

"See me, momma?!" She exlcaims excitedly.

Ziva doesn't have to force a smile as she gazes down at her.

"Yes, I did," she coos softly, brushing wayward strands of hair out of Piper's reddened face. "You dance wonderfully."

Piper smiles proudly, then rushes around Ziva to her father, pulling his arm in an effort to drag him from his chair.

"Our turn, daddy. Lessgo!"

Tony grins proudly at Ziva, finishing the rest of his beer before scooping the little girl up and rising.

"Duty calls," he says over Piper's giggles, and leans down to plant a soft kiss against Ziva's lips before whisking his daughter off to the dance floor.

Ziva smiles after them and returns her daughter's wave, and she begins to settle back in her chair to watch, until she feels Gibbs' presence still standing beside her. She looks up, and he leans down with a proffered hand.

"You heard the DJ, David." he growls sternly, and she looks at him, startled.

Gibbs face goes from serious to amused, and he takes her hand.

"Time for our dance, Ziver."

Her face softens and she looks unsure as Gibbs pulls her up and leads her over to where Tony and Piper are twirling exaggeratedly. They stop several feet from them and Tony catches her gaze as she settles her head near Gibbs' shoulder. His eyes are soft and he smiles in that way that makes her throat tighten and her stomach warm. He flashes her a grin and turns to the beat.

"Sorry if I don't move fast enough." Gibbs winces, "My granddaughter has her father's two left feet."

Ziva lets out a laugh and rests her cheek against his suit, breathing in the smell of coffee and sawdust and _Gibbs, _and she sighs, relaxing.

"Whatcha thinking about, Ziva?" He murmurs softly.

His arms tighten around her, almost protectively, and she blinks quickly, looking up to keep the tears at bay.

"I am wondering about Eli." She half-answers, settling for honesty.

Gibbs hand squeezes hers a little more.

"Ah."

She considers him for a moment.

"I am wondering about him here. About me; my daughter. The things I know but do not know."

Gibbs is thoughtful as he spins them in time to the music.

"He's alive. And well. Doesn't hear much from you. You don't hear much from him."

He keeps his tone light, but she can detect the strain. They dance in silence.

"Would he look at us as you do? Piper and myself?" Ziva's question is careful.

"Don't know how he damn well couldn't."

His voice comes out gruff and her's betrays tears and he holds her while they continue to circle the floor.

"Does my father know? About my accident, I mean." He hears what she _actually_ means.

Does he care about her?

He turns her again so she faces the abandoned side of the room, allowing her privacy, because he feels the warm tears leaking through his jacket.

"I'm sure he's heard by now." Gibbs says, not unkindly. "He knows we are here to take care of you, Ziva. You have a family here."

He feels her nod against him. As he moves her back and forth he catches Tony's concerned gaze several feet away; he nods his head toward Ziva, a question in his eyes. Gibbs shakes his head, silently communicating he had it covered.

Ziva's voice is more controlled when she speaks again.

"I know I do. I just ... wonder what would be, if my father were here."

Gibbs tightens his grip around her, leaning close to whisper softly against her ear. "I'm here, Ziva."

_Your father's here. _

He gives her a kiss on her cheek, and the song ends then. Ziva pulls back to look at him, and the two share a smile. The moment doesn't last long, however, For Piper is beside them within seconds.

"Momma," she implores, taking her hand that's let go of Gibbs. "With Daddy now." Tony appears beside them, chucking in amusement, and offers his hand toward Ziva. Gibbs smirks, pushing her toward her partner, and reaches down to pick up his granddaughter.

"How 'bout I hold you this time, munchkin?"

Ziva and Tony chuckle as Gibbs carries her away.

Tony's already humming along to the song when he pulls her close, and there's an affectionate look in his eyes and a secret smile pulling at his mouth. The song is familiar, and she finds herself humming along without realizing it.

"Remember this song?" She shivers as his lips brush her ear. Her hand travels to the back of his neck, and she plays with the soft hairs there, thinking thoughtfully.

"It is familiar. I like it," Ziva shrugs, as he continues to lead her in a steady dance.

Tony leaned back to smile down at her.

"It's the one we danced to on our own day," he winked, more amused than hurt by her lack of memory.

Her mouth forms an "O" in surprise and he chuckles deeply before pulling her close enough to speak near her ear.

"So greeting the bride went smoothly," he began, and Ziva nodded in agreement.

"Yes," she answered easily, "She was not unfriendly. I feel sorry that I can not remember her, however."

Tony's laughter reverberated through her body.

"Well, like I said, you guys weren't exactly lunch buddies. You two could probably kick some serious ass together though."

Ziva smiled, turning her slightly to look at him.

"We both seem to have pretty good taste too, yes?" She says softly, before giving him a brief kiss on his jaw. He smiles warmly, before twirling her around and succeeding at making her laugh.

"Damn good taste," he affirms, and they settle back dancing closer together.

They're quiet for several moments, and Ziva's grip on his waist tightens.

"I do not know how I would have done today without you," she murmurs into his neck quietly. "Any of you. And not just today. I do not know how I would have done this if it had been only Eli in my life." She casts her gaze up to find him searching her own, and his thumb is already swiping at her eye before she realizes they're filling.

"We're your family, Ziva." He tells her sincerely, stroking her cheek with his thumb, "We're always going to be here for you. Permanently, you got that?" She nods wordlessly, and he leans down to plant a much needed kiss against her mouth. He lingers at her lips for several moments too long to be polite in present company, but in a room full of people celebrating love, it wasn't scrutinized.

Ziva brings her arms up to wrap around his neck and hold him close.

"I love you," she murmurs under his jaw.

Tony smiles as he presses a kiss to her head.

"I love you too, Ziva. We'll get through this. One day at a time."


	20. Chapter 20

_As you can see with my other recent stories, I may have been side tracked. I didn't want to force out a chapter I wasn't fully committed to._

_But here you are, chapter 20. _

_As always, thanks to ALL of your responses, comments, favorites, and alerts - I'm always overwhelmed with every update how much you enjoy this story._

_Let me know your thoughts, I love to hear what you think._

**_jae_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Twenty<em>**

Though she wanted to leave all thoughts encompassing her estranged father at the wedding reception the previous night, Eli David continues to linger in the shadows of her thoughts for the days to come.

The dark clouds that laid in waiting over the nation's Capitol the day before, swirling and menacing and promising nothing less than a torrential downpour, finally surrendered and relinquished the impending rainfall in the midst of the night. The family of three had fallen asleep easily, worn out from the evening's activities; all but Ziva. The rain began as she tossed and turned fitfully next to Tony, who slept on, peaceful. She laid awake much of the night, exasperated; Storms had never quite kept her up like this before - from what she was able to recall in her memory. Rainfall used to be a peaceful sight and sound for her, but she doesn't spend long allowing her thoughts to stray, wondering what could have happened to change that during the years her mind had lost.

From what she's learned about her current self in recent weeks, she has a general idea.

She's drowsy and on the brink of a comatose state when the alarm wails to rouse her significantly more well rested partner. Thankfully, he shuts it off quickly as always, in consideration to her sleeping state. She's aware of him stretching and yawning beside her, feeling him shift. Automatically, he rolls to face her, as he does every morning since the first time he had ever woke up beside her. It's his first instinct upon waking to see her; to make sure she's there and here and whole and _alive_ beside himself.

And so he turns over, only to find her staring back at him, with a small and sleepy smile on her face. He smiles back at her, and while he's not all that surprised to find her awake, he is curious to see the dark shadows that linger under her eyes.

Just as he's about to inquire how she slept, he hears, then feels, the soft rumble and vibration of thunder in the distance. Once aware of the storm raging outside, awareness clicks.

Ziva turns to kiss the hand he reaches out to tuck an errant curl behind her ear.

"_Boker Tov,_" she murmurs softly against his palm. Grinning, because there is nothing in his life that's quite like waking up to Ziva David, especially when she's this sleepy and intimate, and when she's only donned in one of his old t-shirts, he trails his arm down to spread around her waist to pull her closer.

"Morning, sleepy." He chuckles, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. "Rough night, huh?"

She hums in confirmation, snuggling her head under his chin and pressing her face into his neck.

"Mmmhm. How did you know? You slept like a _block_."

Not bothering to correct her this early in the morning, he runs his hand up her back to weave his fingers into her messy curls.

"You've always had trouble sleeping during storms," Tony mumbles, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "As long as we've been together, anyway." He adds as an afterthought. Sighing, he pulls back, resigning himself to getting out of bed.

"I wish I was staying home in bed with you today."

Ziva smiles as she slides her bare leg between his.

'I would quite like that," She murmurs, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to his neck. She laughs at his groan of frustration as he untangles himself from her to leave the bed, before temptation makes him late for work.

"Try to get some sleep before munchkin wakes up," He tells her while he collects his clothes for the day. "She's inherited your internal clock, but she's usually pretty patient if she wakes up before us. "

She throws a pillow half-heartedly in response, and Tony grins as he closes the bathroom door before it can make contact with him.

**oOo**

She had finally succumbed to sleep before Tony emerged from the bathroom to leave for NCIS. When she awakes again, it's suddenly, as if her brain suddenly flipped from asleep to awake instantly. Her eyes snap open and she jolts, and her first thought is that surely she'd only been asleep for no more than fifteen minutes, for it felt that way. Ziva's eyes search until they focus on the alarm clock across on Tony's side of the bed, and is shocked to see it's nearly noon. The rain is still coming down hard outside, and a crack of thunder sounds, resonating from far off in the distance. Now effectively awake, she becomes aware of the visitor that's crawled into her bed, and she glances down to see Piper curled beside her, smiling sleepily over the thumb in her mouth.

Ziva grins, reaching out to tap her nose lightly.

"Good morning, my little one." She says softly, her voice still rough from sleep.

Piper pulls her thumb out of her mouth to press her small palm on her mother's face.

"Mornin' momma," She chirps, and runs her tiny fingers under Ziva's eyes. "You 'kay?"

Ziva takes her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it.

"I am fine, just a little sleepy, yes?" Piper nods, then moves to sit up and crawl closer, so she leans against Ziva's abdomen.

"Uh huh. You don't like da storms."

Ziva gives the three year old a curious glance, but doesn't disagree.

"I suppose I do not, _hmm_?"

Piper shakes her head and rubs her hand up and down Ziva's arm in what she supposed was a comforting gesture.

"No, dey make you sad sometimes. And have da bad dreams."

Were three year olds usually this perceptive?

Nonplussed, Ziva watches the little girl as she continues to rub her arm, her attention not on her mother's face. Before she can formulate a response, Piper speaks again.

"Sometimes I have da bad dreams too. But den daddy and me watch da special movie and da bad dreams go away." She looks up and smiles at her. "We can watch special movie?" She continues, asking brightly.

Ziva chuckles and nods in confirmation.

"That sounds like a good idea. We have the whole day to ourselves.''

Piper's inherited grin spreads wide as she scrambles over Ziva to drop off the bed and onto the floor with a soft _thump._

"Kay!" She exclaims, before trying to tug the comforter off Ziva and effectively onto the floor. "But breakfast first, momma."

Ziva laughs, watching her struggle to pull the heavy comforter off, until she discreetly helps her pull them to the floor, and Piper grins in victory.

"Of course," Ziva tells her, swinging her legs off the bed and reaching for her, anchoring the little girl onto her hip effortlessly. "We cannot forget breakfast."

**oOo**

Although it's past noon when they've finally wandered into the kitchen, mother and daughter still opt for a late breakfast rather than lunch. Once breakfast is eaten, cleared, and cleaned up, and bath time and shower time are had respectively, the two settle in the living room, amongst many piles of blankets and stuffed animals; a perfect remedy for the rainy day. As promised, Piper dashes across the room while Ziva settles on the couch, her small feet catching on her too-long sweatpants and she almost tumbles.

"Careful, _tatehleh_," Ziva chastises, but Piper has already found her movie and is rushing back to her mother.

"Daddy's special movie," She announces with a flourish, and hands it to Ziva to put into the DVD player. Ziva gets up to turn it on, and as she returns back to the couch she finds Piper already snuggled under several blankets. She crawls into Ziva's lap as the previews begin to filter across the screen, and Ziva runs her fingers automatically through her daughter's still damp hair, parting it and weaving it into a braid. J. M. Barrie's classic rendition of Peter Pan begins to fill the room with it's opening music when Piper rubs her knee comfortingly.

"Feel better?" she asks Ziva quietly.

"Much better," Ziva acquiesces, finishing her braid. Piper snuggles further into her lap, and Ziva brings the blanket up to cover them.

"Momma?" She says again, eyes watching the screen.

"Hmm?"

"You have special movie too wif Grampa, cuz he's your daddy, like me and my daddy?"

Ziva's hand stills where it was rubbing her tiny arm. There he is again; Eli cropping up in her memories, in her life . And with no recollection of how Tony and herself have handled the situation of her father up to this point with Piper, she's unsure of how to proceed.

But there's something that pangs insider her that wants desperately to share with this little girl, her daughter, about the father that was in her life long before Gibbs came into hers. Eli had been on her mind much since the accident, and especially in recent days. So with after a few seconds of indecision, she finally settles somewhere between the truth and omission.

"Well, tatehleh, your grandfather was not always my daddy. I have another daddy, from when I was little like yourself."

Piper's gaze tears away from the movie, her attention curious as she regards her mother.

"You haved another daddy?" She questions, frowning, then holds up two small fingers. "_Two_ daddies?"

Ziva shifts uncomfortably, but presses on.

"Yes, but he lives far away from here, in my c-" She stops, correcting herself, "in my old country." Ziva smiles sadly, then regards Piper's still inquisitive face. "Do you know where? It is also your country too, in a way."

Piper nods her head, giggling.

"Yes, Momma," she says emphatically, "Iz-real." She sobers once Ziva nods in confirmation, and regards her curiously. "Is dat where your other daddy livin'?"

Ziva shrugs, because though she's not entirely certain, she's confident her father has not left Israel since the last her mind can recall.

"Yes. He has an important job there and it keeps him there, and very busy."

Piper stares thoughtfully at her for a few moments before snuggling closer.

"Oh. Maybe he come here one day and I sees him? And he sees you and I can have two Gampas?"

Ziva smiles wistfully, wrapping the blanket tighter around the both of them as her attention returns back to the movie.

"Perhaps," she mumbles quietly, as she traces Pipers' little hand that she brought to her mouth, where her thumb has now disappeared.

**oOo**

When Tony walks through the front door that evening, his first instinct is to tread quietly, for the apartment is dark and quiet. Shutting the door softly and discarding his keys and his shoes, he treads carefully, past the kitchen and down the hall, until he comes to the family room where a low glow emanates from the small lamp besides the couch, and the DVD menu for, he realizes with a smile, is the movie he always puts on for Piper to calm her down. His gaze falls to the couch then, and he finds Ziva smiling back at him, waving her fingers quietly in hello.

"Where's munchkin?" He whispers quietly.

She frowns, and then her mouth forms a soft o, and she moves carefully to lift the blanket on her to reveal Piper, very much asleep, lightly snoring over the thumb resting in her mouth.

"Aha," Tony says, coming around the couch to stand above the pair.

Ziva gives him a tired smile.

"A little help?"

Grinning, he reaches down to gently untangle their daughter from blankets and couch and Ziva.

"As you wish," he smirks, once he's bent down and closer to her. Ziva gets up then to follow him down the hall, extracting herself from their cocoon of the past several hours with a suppressed groan. She makes it to Piper's door just as Tony is tucking her into her bed, and leans against the frame, watching with a smile as he brushes back her braid and kisses her lightly. Straightening up, he treads quietly to the door, cracking it softly before moving back down the hall.

"I guess we can let her nap for a little - wake her up for dinner so she sleeps some tonight." They walk past the family room and down the hall into the kitchen.

She turns on the light behind him, and comes to lean against the island as he opens the fridge and searches for a beer.

"So did you guys spend all day sleeping?" He turns around to look at her teasingly, twisting the top off his bottle.

Ziva smiles for him, but is quiet as she looks down at her feet.

Regarding her seriously, he tries again.

"I noticed the movie you had on. Were you guys okay today?" Tony moves to lean against the counter next to her, their shoulders touching. "I figured the storm would keep you awake..."

Ziva turns her head to look at him.

"You told me some time ago that we would talk about...my father." Ziva begins hesitantly, and Tony's face morphs into one of surprise.

"Does he know about us? About my daughter - our daughter?"

He takes a long sip of his beer, then sets it roughly down on the counter's surface.

"Your dad...knows," he began, "But you've never really shared him with Piper. I left that decision up to you, Ziva. It's not really my place, given your history with him..." Tony trails off, distracted, and considers her expression more carefully.

"Did he come up today with Piper?"

Relieved that she hadn't done or said anything against his wishes, she exhaled and visibly relaxed.

"Yes," Ziva replied. "It just sort of, I suppose, came out naturally. He has been on my mind a lot...recently," and Tony nods in understanding, because yeah, naturally he would be. Given the accident and the previous night.

"I have been thinking about him a lot, and it makes me think that perhaps I should...reach out." Ziva looks to her partner for reassurance, and Tony's face is one of understanding. Taking his hand, she continues. "I just, if something worse had happened... I do not want to regret not ever speaking to him, or sharing Piper with him, if he wishes to know her. If Eli would like to have his granddaughter in his life, who am I to keep him from that small happiness, to not let him know how perfect she is." Ziva chokes out the last words, eyes glistening with confliction and emotion, and so Tony pulls her to him then, soothing her.

"Hey, hey," Tony shushes her quietly, rubbing a calming hand up and down her back. "If you want him to know Piper, then I do too. We're a team, even if you don't remember." He teases her, and he feels Ziva's responding laughter reverberate against him.

He smiles, pulling away to look at her.

"And I think it would be good for you, Ziva." He tells her seriously, wiping at the last tear that mars her face. "I think you need that. And I think you've been ready for that for a while now. You've been doing well with all of us, and adjusting to being an American, and becoming a mother; You had moved on from it."

She smiles back at him, and he leans into her, pressing their foreheads together.

"I've got your back, _sweetcheeks_," he says softly, pressing a kiss to her lips then.

Ziva returns his kiss, closing her eyes as she calms.

"I know you do."


	21. Chapter 21

_**Finally making my rounds and updating everything. It's taken a while to get back into the groove in light of Cote leaving. I'll continue to update this until I run out of ideas. I have an ending written, but from time to time I think of different ideas to incorporate into this story. I've been busy working on other things as well, as you can tell from my other story updates. Enjoy and I hope everyone is well! **_

_**P.S - sorry this story has gotten so fluffy, but it's a nice break from the other angsty drabbles i've been writing ;)**_

_**jae**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Twenty One<strong>_

Her hand worries the fading wood beneath her fingers, her mind preoccupied by what she is about to face.

Or who, for that matter, as she turns her attention to the small clock of the desktop's LED-lit screen.

The minutes continue to trickle by as she waits for fourteen hundred to arrive. She does the mental calculation again for the hundredth time, checking once more that she had the time right. She does this only out of nervousness; the time-zone difference between anywhere and her native country is as ingrained as her first language.

Unable to wait after their conversation the previous night, Ziva had sent an e-mail to the man she'd had, until recent weeks, been ignoring resolutely for the last several years of her life.

As far as her memory was concerned, though, it seemed like weeks ago she had spoken to one Eli David about her mission that had led her to U.S soil.

He'd responded immediately; as if he had been waiting for her at any moment to extend the olive branch after all this time. He was formal in he response, suggesting a conference call the very next evening at twenty-one hundred, his time. Five minutes to spare.

Ziva sighs, glancing around the study's desk, searching for anything else to focus on as to quell the anxiety knotting her stomach. Her eyes land on the single, lone photo that occupies the space shared by old case files, reports, and bills waiting to be paid. She lifts it delicately, and has to wipe away the dust that had settled over time.

She smiles as she takes in the photograph, willing her mind futilely to come up with the memory that accompanies this moment. It must have been a happy one, for it to be worth preserving in the study they spend much of their post-work hours in. She reasons Tony must have been the one to capture the moment, for the photograph holds only her and whom she presumes is their daughter, no older than a year. Ziva's smile widens because even then, the little girl's smile was contagious. She marvels at how tiny their daughter was, her past self easily anchoring Piper with one arm against her chest, both captured in mid-laughter.

She spends a few moments lost in the hazy past, before the sound she'd been both dreading and waiting for echoed through the room.

The ping of an incoming video message causes her to stiffen.

"_Shalom_, Ziva." A soft, tired voice greets from thousands of miles away.

Returning the frame carefully to where it rests, she glances once more at the little girl in the picture, the very reason for why this call was taking place. She finally returns her gaze to the man she'd been waiting to see.

"_Shalom_, Aba." Ziva returns slowly, hesitant eyes meeting through the computer screen for the first time in years.

The silence stretches for several moments.

To her, It feels like an eternity.

* * *

><p>He listens from down the hall at the muffled voices conversing back and forth. When a half hour passes without either reaching a higher decibel than what's accustomed in friendly conversation, he assumes that everything was going as well as it could be, given the circumstances.<p>

Setting down the paper he'd only been pretending to read, he readjusts himself upon the couch and looks over to where their daughter is otherwise occupied. Toys are scattered around her, and he watches as she redresses one of her dolls. Tony smiles at the look of acute concentration on her face, the expression, he thinks fondly, so completely Ziva. The same chocolate eyes gaze up at him then, and the little girl's arms fall to her lap.

"_Daddy_," she sighs, pouting, and he smiles in amusement as he leans forward, resting his chin on his hand and tilting his head to the side.

"Yes, munchkin?" He smirks, watching as she pushes herself up and makes her way toward him. She pauses when she is directly in front of him, patting his cheek and running her hand over his day old stubble.

"Can we go to Gampa's for lunch now?" She turns her pout up a couple notches, and Tony has to stop himself from rolling his eyes at her expression. Brushing away some of her curls that had come out of the braid Ziva had deftly done before breakfast that morning, he regards her sternly.

"We have to wait for mommy to finish her call, remember? Then we can go to Grandpa's." He keeps his tone soft as she nods her understanding dejectedly. Tony glances at his watch on his wrist, though, knowing that is getting late in the afternoon, and decides to compromise.

"How about we make a snack to hold you over?" He grins, laughing when she her face lights up and she nods her head emphatically.

"Pease? An' then we go to Gampa's?"

Getting up from the couch, he ruffles her hair and makes his way toward their kitchen. Her face scrunches in the perfect impression of Ziva as she smooths her hair back, and Tony chuckles over his shoulder.

"Once mommy is done." He reminds her, disappearing around the corner, not waiting for Piper to follow.

* * *

><p>She had almost forgotten that she was not alone in their apartment until her father pauses mid-conversation, and his eyes travel to the door that creaks open behind her.<p>

"_Momma_?" A tentative voice calls, and Ziva's head whips around to gaze at the little girl as she steps into the room. Her hand doesn't leave the doorknob, however, and she begins to look apprehensive when she sees the tension that covers her mother's face; she looks as though she is beginning to regret interrupting her.

Ziva, noticing her apprehension, softens her face in response, rearranging her features to offer her a soft smile. Turning her chair around so it's facing her, she beckons the little girl closer.

"_Bo'i he'na, neshomeleh,_" she calls softly, and slowly Piper makes her way over to her outstretched arms, her thumb nervously traveling to her mouth.

Ziva helps her crawl into her lap, turning once more to face the computer screen where Eli had silently observed the exchange. The little girl frowns at the video window before her, and she reaches out to point at the light that glows indicating the webcam in use.

"_Ma ze_?" She mumbles over her thumb, looking up at her mother while her finger taps the glowing light on the screen.

Ziva chuckles, but Eli speaks before she can answer.

"She knows hebrew?"

His tone indicates surprise, and she smiles softly before pulling her tiny thumb gently away from her mouth.

"She is learning," She corrects, tapping Piper on the nose and causing her to giggle, and the barest of smiles pull at his mouth at the pride in her voice.

"She speaks well." Eli nods at them, his voice thick. Ziva awards him a small smile, then looks down at the little girl in her lap.

"What do we say, _tatehleh_?"

Piper looks up at her mother for confirmation, then lets her eyes flicker briefly to the man on the computer screen before dropping her eyes shyly.

"_Todah_," she mumbles quietly, and both Ziva and Eli chuckle in unison.

She turns to hide her face into her mother's neck, and Ziva smooths a comforting hand down her back, and begins to address Eli over the little girl's head just as she hears the door once more creek open behind her.

"_Aba_, this is -"

"_Piper_," Tony's voice reprimands from behind her. She turns to him as he walks into the room, and feels Piper hug her closer around her torso while turning her head deeper into her neck.

"Didn't I say to wait until she was done?" Tony is now beside her, and the little girl turns her head finally to look up at her father, peering out from behind her mother's curls.

"Yes," she replies solemnly, and her voice is small and almost unintelligable. "But daddy, I'm really hunwgry and I wanna go to gampa's."

Tony looks ready to reprimand her further, but Ziva runs another hand over the little girl's hair and shakes her head discretely. He catches her gaze, and his eyes are apologetic.

"It's okay, Tony." Ziva sighs quietly, giving him a reassuring smile, and the apprehension on his face slowly fades.

Looking down at their daughter, she pulls away to better look her in the eyes.

"We will go to your grandfather's, _tatehleh_," She promises, giving her an encouraging smile, "But you have another one, here." Ziva nods to the screen behind her, where Eli had been watching their family interaction curiously.

Piper frowns at both her parents, and she holds up two, tiny fingers to show them.

"Two gampas?" She questions, her tone unsure, and tries to peek behind her discretely at the computer screen.

Ziva watches Eli's face as she answers, and she can't tell if it's the screen, or if his eyes briefly fill for the smallest of moments. Turning the little girl around to face him properly, she takes the little girl's hand in hers and points to the screen.

"_Ken_, can you say hello to your _Saba_?"

Piper frowns in concentration, then looks at Eli curiously on the screen and waves a small hand in his direction.

"_Shl'om, _Saba_,_" she tries out the word, looking between him and her mother for approval."

Eli chuckles affectionately, and he waves back at her over the feed.

"_Shalom_, my dear." He replies softly back. His eyes travel to Ziva's, and she feels Tony's hand tighten on her shoulder while he watches them share a meaningful look.

Eli's hebrew is mumbled lowly, far too quick for Piper's understanding, meant for Ziva's ears alone.

_"She looks much like Talia. And has much of her nature and heart,"_ he pauses, letting his eyes travel over them all._ "And so much of your spirit. You are blessed with a loving family, my Ziva."_

His tone is thick, even through his accent, and Tony notes as much. He stays silent, however, and let's Ziva grasp his hand that still rests on her shoulder, her grip curling around his.

_"Aní Yodá'at,"_ she responds quietly, and a weight is lifted from her heart.


	22. Chapter 22

**_Long time, no see._**

**_Author's Note at the bottom._**

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><p><strong><em>Twenty Two<em>**

_"Anything ring a bell yet?"_

Ziva glances up from where she kneels along the concrete; glancing around their daughter's head to shoot him a warning glare. He smiles apologetically in response, watching as she finishes looping their daughter's elusive shoelace into a tight knot. Her eyes narrow at the offending lace, as if daring it to come undone once more under her watch.

She hums neutrally rather than confirm or deny his question with a audible yes or no. Instead, she busies herself checking Piper's light jacket; pulling the zipper up an additional further inch, and an inch more than necessary for the mild, spring afternoon. Out of distractions, she gives the increasingly impatient little girl a bright smile, leaning back on her heels.

"Perfect." She affirms, dropping her hands to her thighs, and Piper, hopping from foot to foot, grins back at her. She chirps excitedly, and Ziva's eyes return to Tony's as he recaptures one of Piper's free hands. She reaches for her other, small hand the little girl proffers to her while giving a hastily uttered_ thank you. _

Tony smiles at her over their daughter's head, and Ziva rolls her eyes good-naturedly as Piper resumes pulling them along the crowded street-side once more; weaving through and around other families and people out enjoying the beautiful saturday in the heart of D.C.

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><p>It was Tony's idea to head out for the day; affirming that spending the day visiting their familiar haunts would spur some of Ziva's memory into action, and also allow Piper to enjoy herself in the process. And while it was fun to watch their daughter's excitement build as they made their way to her favorite park, laughing and tugging at their hands, pointing at every which thing that captured her attention, Ziva couldn't quell the anxiety that was building with every step. While she was becoming more accustomed to her life as it stood now from day to day, it was much easier in the comfort of their home and the growing familiarity of Tony and their daughter's presence.<p>

Out in the middle of the city, a world she remembers so little about, every unfamiliar sound, every movement, bombards her with other memories long before her life here, and Ziva finds she must check herself constantly. She feels like a recovering PTSD victim; She startles at every car horn, each siren that flares up and echoes through the city blocks, and she finds herself unable to tear her eyes away from the oblivious, happy little girl that skips between her and Tony; the thought of her stepping too far out of her reach in the hustle of the city streets could be just one step too many from safety and being able to protect her.

If Tony senses her anxiety in her silence, or her growing tension in the tightness of her grasp, he does well at ignoring it. He keeps up a running conversation with their daughter, even bringing the occasional strained smile to Ziva's face at their antics, her imagination seemingly limitless, and Tony's encouragement of it. He has Piper in fits of laughter by the time they reach the street corner from across the park, and when he sees Ziva tense and momentary pause as traffic shudders to a halt before the cross walk, he scoops their daughter up effortlessly against his hip; giving Ziva an easy wink and encouraging smile as he pulls her by the hand across the street.

He leads them to a small, grassy area that's far from the hustle of the city street and downright bare compared to the area by the crowded swing-set, and as Tony sets Piper down several yards from the playset, running after her towards the slide, for the first time since leaving their apartment, Ziva feels a sense of calm wash over her.

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><p>Though her stress leaves her for the length of the afternoon, the calm doesn't last.<p>

It happens on their way back from the park.

"_I_ think momma wants ice cream."

Piper smiles up sweetly at Ziva, and both her and Tony share an amused look over her head where she skips between the pair of them.

No doubt that she had spied the vendor from far down the street, they can't resist teasing her; even though Ziva sees Tony's resistance melt in his eyes the second her voice takes on its adorable tilt.

"Hmm..." Tony hums, shooting Ziva a look as their daughter watches their exchange expectantly. "I don't see any ice cream, do you, Ziva?"

Ziva pretends to cast her eyes around them, ignoring the vendor they near with every step.

"No," she shakes her head sadly, barely reigning in her smile. She does her best to look disheartened. "I suppose we will have to wait until we return home."

Tony grimaces, just as Piper begins to protest between them.

"That's a long time from now," He whines, and Ziva finally laughs as Piper begins tugging on both of their hands.

"_Daddy_," She pulls her hand from Ziva's to point down the street. "It's right there. Where we _always_ go."

Tony chuckles, winking at Ziva, and as they approach the cart, he pauses while still searching his pockets.

"_Uh-oh_," He mumbles under his breath, looking up at Ziva with an apology in his eyes. "I left my wallet in the car," He motions across the street, several yards away. Ziva nods in understanding, motioning for him to go.

"We'll be waiting," She confirms, and Tony nods; a sneaky gleam in his eye.

"Order our usuals?" He motions between him and their daughter, whom Ziva's wrestling out of her jacket distractedly.

"Mint chocolate chip and strawberry." She replies absently, while she pulls Piper's arm free of another sleeve, and hands over to Tony to put in the car. She doesn't notice his knowing smirk until she turns back to him when he remains silent. She frowns at him for several moments, before a knowing look dawns across her features at her own words.

"Looks like the park is ringing a few of those bells in that pretty head after all." He winks, then looks to make sure there's a break in traffic, and leaves her standing there as he dashes across the street.

"_What bells?_" She cries after him in exasperation, but if he hears her, he chooses to ignore her. With a sigh, she gives into Piper's insistent hand tugging, and wander over to the vendor to place their orders.

She's not sure if it's the lack of Tony's ever grounding presence, Piper's constant chattering and pleads for her ice-cream, or the full force of the city surrounding her and suddenly hitting her at once again, but her anxiety begins to bubble once more as she stumbles over their orders and flavors and sizes while trying to keep Piper's hand tight in her own.

When the vendor hands over their cones, Ziva at lasts lets go of Piper's hand, for only a moment, directing a stern s_tay_ down at her as she turns her back, taking their cones one at a time from the smiling man. She sees Piper whip her head around toward the street out of her peripheral vision, searching for Tony no doubt amongst the the flurry of people moving in both directions on the sidewalk. As she exchanges pleasantries with the salesman, her anxiety only skyrockets as she sees a dark SUV peel off loudly from its spot on the street side; speeding into traffic and down their current road.

The moment she focuses on the man in front of her again to say thank you, she hears Piper's shout of _"Hurry, Daddy!"_ and it comes from much too far away for Ziva's liking. She sees the SUV still gaining speed down the street, and when her head whips around to see Piper now at the edge of the road, waving toward Tony, an onslaught of memories at last rip through her.

But they aren't any she'd been so desperately trying to channel.

Suddenly, although it lasts only several seconds, she's no longer on the sunny streets of D.C. Her vision swims with memories of a day so long ago in Israel; a dark SUV creeping slowly along the street outside of her primary school. A sudden explosion. A blast that ripped through the sound barriers.

It reaches her now.

A strangled noise rises from her throat, and the next thing she knows is she's blinking rapidly, back on the street of D.C, and suddenly she's gripping a dumbfounded Piper in a vice-like grip by her arm. They're feet away from the curb now, and her face is suggesting that Ziva must have yelled harshly. Tony appears just as suddenly hovering above them, and his own face suggests that whatever she yelled, it wasn't in a language he understood.

But Piper's sudden watery eyes tells her that the little girl understood clearly.

"Ziva..." Tony pants, slightly breathless from running across the street towards them. His eyes are mournful and empathetic, but she shakes her head, looking back at their daughter and her tight grip on her arm.

She drops her hand, blinking rapidly as she feels her face flush red. Piper still looks stunned as she watches Ziva, leaning into the comforting hand Tony presses against her back.

Thrusting the cone of strawberry ice-cream into Piper's hand that's begun dripping slowly down the cone, Ziva straightens up; backing away from the both of them while still trying to calm her heart rate.

"I need to go." Ziva backs farther away; away from Tony's protesting, from Piper's sad, watery eyes. She turns her back on the pair of them, fleeing their gazes and breaking off through the crowded sidewalk. She walks until she reaches the end of the next street, turning a corner and drowning out the sounds surrounding her. She walks until soon, city turns to suburban, and the noise becomes only a dull echo ringing in her ears.

She doesn't realize it as her feet travel a familiar path that, while her mind doesn't quite remember, her body still does.

It's not until she's before his very house that she's pulled from her reverie; a quiet, always familiar _Ziver_ calling out to her - memorable, no matter any lifetime.

She lets out a shaky sob; her voice shuddering with relief.

_"Gibbs."_

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><p><strong><em>Hello!<em>**

**_A thousand apologies to those that have reviewed, loved, and begged for me to update this story. There really isn't a legitimate excuse for ignoring this story. The more I explored writing, the more I realized that I could write things other than fluffy, AU kid stories, and I've really enjoyed branching out and experimenting with different styles of writing and different types of stories. I told you, I haven't forgotten this one. It just took me a while to find some direction and inspiration again. But I want to thank you all a thousand times over for being so very patient and leaving all of the wonderful reviews that you have. I hope this chapter was okay, and if you're still with me, give yourself a huge hug from myself._**

**_Much love,_**

**_jae_**


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